


Eight Letters from Me to You

by Sol1t41r3



Series: Letters [2]
Category: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Minor Character Death, Scavenger Hunts, Secret Admirer, Slow Burn, Swearing, Underage Drinking, oof
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-28
Updated: 2018-07-19
Packaged: 2019-03-10 11:58:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 72,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13501268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sol1t41r3/pseuds/Sol1t41r3
Summary: Dear Magnus,First of all, don’t throw this away. I have shit to say to you.Second of all, why is your face so stupidly cute?Third of all, there’s another letter that you have to find.....





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> so, testing the waters once again. this is heavily inspired by a davekat (homestuck) fanfic called [thirteen and a half mixtapes](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5615899/chapters/12938155) though im not very sure if there are homestuck fans lingering around the mcga fandom.
> 
> i hope the pacing is good :')

About two years ago, I had moved into my uncle’s mansion just because he could cover my tuition fee and because he needed someone to take care of his antiques-galore. Uncle Randolph was never significant a family member during my childhood, partly because my mom never let me see him until I was ten. He was a weird guy, always mumbling about stuff that I just thought were total garbage. Maybe Randolph is a secretly psycho, but I’ll never really know, I barely see him around anymore.

If it was up to me, I’d be back with my mom back home but I’m stuck here until I finish school which is a long hell of a time. Sigh, the torture of living in a musky old mansion with a maybe-psycho uncle.

I’m in my room when my phone goes off, Samirah al-Abbas’ ringtone blares from the speakers. Her ringtone is the song she composed just to tell me to pick up the phone because she’s calling. I can honestly never get tired of it, right now it’s a month strong ringtone.

I pick up, “Sam?”

“Hey, Magnus. Library in five with Hearth and Blitz.” Sam’s crisp voice belts out. Oh shoot, that was today?

“Five--five minutes, right?” I immediately run to my closet, picking out a jacket and jeans.

“What else? I’m not going to call you five hours advance just to remind you.”

“Right. I’ll be there.”

Sam hangs up, leaving the conversation at that. Some conversation that was. Sam’s one of my first and closest friends here in Boston, I met her when she became my seatmate for my first year in high school. She’s the one who always makes sure my head’s nice and dandy.

I guess I kind of forgot that we had a meeting today with Hearth and Blitz and she’s probably not happy with that. If I sprint my way to the library I might be able to only be five minutes late, give or take. I take my book-bag, phone and wallet then dress up. After a few minutes, I’m outside running to the library.

 

* * *

 

As I stop in front of the ancient-looking building, my heart is pumping like crazy and my lungs are gasping for air.

Then I spot a familiar figure standing by the entrance. Judging by the forest green hair, it’s unmistakably Alex Fierro. It’s strange to see her here, she’s one of the notorious lazy people at school that always stir up trouble. She’s wearing a custom green-and-pink hoodie that has the word, _FABULOUS_   printed on the front, adorned with a button pin that says _SHE/HER_. Thankfully, her attention seems to be directed to the phone she’s holding up in front of her face.

I don’t bother to talk to her because I do not need that right now. Every time I tried to talk to Alex ended up with me pranked or humiliated in some form. The first time I talked to her left me with whipped cream down my shirt and in my hair. Here would be no different so I ignore her and walk into the building, not noticing the look she gives me as I push the door open, leaving it to close by itself.

The library is huge, outside and inside. I could probably stack fifty giraffes in here and there would still be space. Exaggeration aside, even if it is so big and spacey I still feel at home here. The silence is the kind of silence that doesn’t drive me crazy unlike at the mansion. Maybe that’s why it feels better here.

Looking up, I see the huge lights hanging from the stony gray ceiling. I always wonder how they got those up there, really high ladders? Does not sound safe at all.

I walk past the front desk and offer the librarian Ms. Smith a kind wave and she waves back half-heartedly. I think she hates kids. One time she slammed a book on the table of a few noisy teens and she sent them out the library. So far that’s never happened to me, and I hope it doesn't, I don’t think I could handle her glaring me down.

My three friends are already at our regular table by the fiction section. Sam has her laptop whipped out while Blitz and Hearth discuss something else. I keep my footsteps light in walking to them and I drop my book-bag on my seat.

“Sweet geezers, Magnus!” Blitz jumps, looking at me like a madman. Hearth looks at us with amusement evident in his eyes while Sam is still typing away, a stormy look in her eyes. “You scared me, kid.” Blitzen the oldest out of all of us and I’m the only one he calls, ‘kid’.

“Sorry, Blitz. Hey, so what’s the agenda for today?” I ask, tapping my fingers on the table.

Hearth signs at me, _You’re sweating. Not good._

“Yeah, just uh--have to keep fit, y’know?” I try for a lopsided smile but Hearth only wags his finger disappointedly at me. Sam stops typing and closes her laptop, grilling me about how I’m seven minutes late.

I hold up my hands, “Hey, it’s a weekend. I try to enjoy my weekends unlike you sadists.” Then we delve into conversation, talking about the upcoming tests and the play. Yeah, the play about Norse mythology and the depiction of Ragnarok or some stuff like that. I heard that Alex was one of the cast, I didn’t know that she could act or maybe she really couldn’t and just planned on sabotaging the entire play, even if it causes her to be expelled.

My gaze trails somewhere else during the discussion and I’m surprised to see a green-and-pink figure sitting at a table across from ours. Alex. She was--reading? No one else seems to notice her, despite her trademark colors.

After a while, Hearth and Blitz excuse themselves and it’s just me and Sam. I ask her about Amir Fadlan, her betrothed. Amir’s a good guy who gave me falafel the first time we met. I don’t know much about him but I what I do know is that he and Sam have heart-eyes for each other. They are seriously the power couple of the century.

“He’s great,” Sam wears a small smile, “His dad let him take over the business so we don’t have much time to meet but we always keep in contact.” Her expression is almost dreamy.

“That’s good, I guess?” I tip my head.

“What about you, Magnus?” The question startles me.

I look at her quizzically, “What about me?”

“No special someone?” Sam’s voice is louder for some reason, I resist the urge to remind her to quiet down unless she wants Ms. Smith to skin us.

“No? Why the sudden question?”

Sam shrugs, “Just wanted to get a scoop on your life. Anyways, I need to get home.” She stands up and fixes her things, putting her laptop in her backpack.

“You want company?”

“Yours? Thanks for the offer but no, Magnus.” Sam smiles at me. I put my hand to my chest, gasping.

“I am--offended!” I shout-whisper. Sam chuckles and waves me goodbye. I wave back.

And then there was one.  Man, don’t you just hate it when your friends leave you alone? Meanwhile, Alex Fierro was still reading her book or whatever she was holding. Weird, I’ve never seen her read or do anything related to studying.

I search around the fiction section for a book to read, when I finally do find one, something hits my back. I turn around and see a crumpled up paper ball on the floor. I glance at Alex, she’s still reading. I kneel down and grab it. When I get back to my chair, I smoothen it out against the table. In clear green handwriting it said, _im sorry._

I look up.

 Alex Fierro is gone.


	2. The First Letter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok AY GEEZ im admittedly surprised by chapter one thanks yall!  
> and since im in a good mood today, heres the second! the next few chapters gonna feel just a tad bit rushed but i swear, shits gonna kick up

It’s almost as if the paper ball was only the start of it.

The weirdness only escalates when I get back home. As I fiddle with the keys and open the front door, I step on something that makes a crackling sound. I step back and look down, there’s an envelope on the floor. The mail slot.. Somebody sent mail? I’ve never seen that happen before and I’m pretty sure that no one ever sends mail to Randolph which can only mean.. I inspect the envelope further.

It’s plain white, nothing to see. There’s no address or return address which must mean that it was actually delivered by the person who wrote it or someone else.. I don’t open it in case it explodes in my face, instead I bring it upstairs to my room and I leave it on my desk. I change into more cozy clothes and pace back and forth in my room.

My room. It used to be Randolph’s study since it was the only proper not run-down room in the mansion. Though since I moved here two years ago, it’s deteriorated slowly and surely. I tried my best to patch it up but to no avail.

Books were also everywhere, some I borrowed from the library and haven’t returned and some that I brought with me when I moved. All the scattered books made it feel like home, like my room back in Allston. It made me feel a bit better, that’s why I never cleaned them up.

And my mom. I missed her a lot, she never came to visit. She couldn’t, she didn’t want to go back here in Boston despite growing up here. I guess she didn’t like it as much as Randolph did. Though I tried to call frequently, I couldn’t, not with the overload of school. We used to meet up at a roadside diner every month during my first year here but that stopped. She just seemed to disappear, I don’t know where but all I knew is that she wanted to me to finish my school here and then come back home.

So that’s what I’m doing, it’s my third year of high school right now, about one more year of high school and a couple years of college then I am out of here.

Still--it still seemed like such a long time. I lay down on my mattress, the coiled springs inside squeak under my weight.

The letter. I consider calling Sam about it but she’s probably busy right now. The more I stare at the envelope, the more my curiosity grows. Maybe it’s time to man up and check out what it is, but I don’t like manning up, it’s too hard to do. But what the heck, I’ve got nothing to lose.

The envelope is easy to open, the paper inside is folded and wrinkled. Obviously it wasn’t given too much love but used anyway. My gray eyes scan the surface. In neat black print, it read:

 

_I don’t why I have to do this but here it is:_

_Dear Magnus Chase,_

_First of all, don’t throw this away or rip it up or I’ll have to rip you up but I don’t want to do that. I still have shit to say to you._

_Second of all, why is your face so stupidly cute? f ~~uck~~_

_Third of all, there’s another letter that you have to find._

_Yeah, yeah. This is all sudden and shit but listen, you have got to do it. Or you’ll waste my efforts of planning this entire fuckery of events that I was forced to._

_I promise I’ll tell you more in the next letter if you can find it. I mean, of course you can find it, it’s so obvious and I doubt you’re blind. You’re not blind, are you? I hope you aren’t._

_~~Love~~ _

_~~With ever~~ _

_~~Xxx~~ _

__

And that was it. This--this is a joke. Who would do something like this? Part of me wanted to rip it up, how would the writer know if I did? I could just ignore this and get on with my life but I don’t want to do that. But what if this _was_ a joke? Somebody leading me on? My eyes reread the paper.

_Stupidly cute?_

 

* * *

 

After rereading it for a thousand times, I had pinned the letter on my corkboard, glancing at it from time to time.

I kept looking at the handwriting, I wanted to compare it to a certain someone’s handwriting but I couldn’t. I left the crumpled up paper ball at the library and it’s probably lost in the trash dumps of Boston. But whoever sent the letter, it couldn’t have been serious. It’s just some elaborate prank, I tell myself. No one ever likes the dorky Magnus Chase.

Deciding that this is an important enough reason to call her, I tell Sam about the letter, she tells me to meet up with her at school tomorrow. Which is kind of a no-brainer because we _always_ meet up at school. I leave the subject of the letter alone for a while, picking up a random book from the my bedroom floor and reading it.

Night falls upon Boston and I go down to either cook or order dinner. Seeing how empty the fridge is means that I’ll have to settle for ordering pizza. Randolph the elusive uncle is nowhere to be seen. I think I’m glad to not see him around, who knows what that old dude does.

After the pizza is delivered and consumed, I go to dust off _all_ my uncle’s antiques. I’m not sure if he still wanted me to do it but I figured that I should keep up my part of the deal.

Looming statues of armored knights, display cases that contained daggers and whatnot. All that stuff never really fascinated me except when I first visited this place when I was eleven. Sure, I had a pretty embarrassing Medieval phase where I had my mom buy me one of those stick horses--hobby horse? Then I drew my own sword that could talk and do what I wanted him to do, I had named him Jack.

But now what really fascinated me were the collection of Norse runes he had up on his walls. Every rune was labeled with their name and meaning. I always assumed that the runes were used for magic maybe a long time ago but now that’s all BS.

The rune that always struck me was perthro _,_ the cup waiting to be filled or the empty cup rune as I liked to call it. It seemed like such a miserable rune yet I always felt like it meant something to me. Something that I didn’t really understand. Yet.

I give it one last once-over and move on to the other parts of the building, continuing my daily task. I just hope that old Randolph appreciates my hard work, even if he seems to not care anymore. Oh well, gotta try, right?

After all of that, I go back to my room, tired by the physical effort of waving my arm around to dust off old shit. I make sure that my stuff is already packed and ready for school tomorrow before throwing myself on my bed. I glance at the letter pinned to my corkboard and my mind wanders again.

What if the writer was a classmate? It’s definitely possible. Maybe they’ll just reveal their self and it’ll all be over. I hope. But heck, everything I hope for never really comes true. But what if they didn’t? What if this was really serious?

I don’t know what I’d do.

I keep my eyes open, glued to the ceiling. Ever since I moved here my sleeping schedule went all over the place, maybe it was because of my room or just school. Probably both. I sigh.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow, I’m gonna try to get to the bottom of this.


	3. The Second Letter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the next few days are probably going to kill me so heres an update for good luck.  
> i hope you lovely people out there are having days that are less stressful than mine :')

The alarm greets me with a loud ringing in my ear and I’m immediately up. Breakfast passes by in a blur, I take a shower, change my clothes and I walk my way to school.

Monday, the dreaded day of the week. I absolutely hate it, it always gives me anxiety.

Normally, I walk to school with Sam to cool off my nerves but I don’t see her anywhere near our normal meeting place so I assume that she’s gone ahead because Sam is _never_   late. Her spotless attendance proves that, the perfect student with the perfect grades. Gee. Sometimes I wonder how I’m friends with her but then I remember that I’m Magnus Chase. Just plain old Magnus Chase, really.

I get to school and rush to my locker, punching in the number code in the lock. Then I suddenly freeze as I see a rainbow-colored envelope taped to the inside of the wall. Hold on--is that?

No.

This is way too far..

The--second letter?

I step back, blinking. Sam appears in my peripheral vision, “Hey, Magnus..” She trails off as she sees my expression.

“Hey, Sam. Uh..” I look at the envelope again, I reach for it inside the locker and then I rip it out of the tape. Sam raises an eyebrow at the envelope.

“It’s the second letter. Somebody just broke into my locker and taped it in there.” I say, staring at it like it’s the most alien thing I’ve ever seen. And it is! Sam looks like she’s about to say something but she’s cut off by the bell.

“Break. Later.” She says and turns to go to her first class. I close my locker and rush to mine. Science.

“Yippee..” I mutter to myself.

Thankfully our teacher isn’t there so I have time to open the letter. But should I? What if the writer was here in my class right now? They probably knew a friend of mine that knew my locker code so maybe it’s someone I know? People who’re usually friends of Sam, Blitz and Hearth are usually my friends too. Well, only because they force me to socialize. I hate socializing.

I look around suspiciously, scanning my classmates. No one seemed to be looking at me except--those mud brown and amber eyes. Urgh. Alex Fierro is across the classroom hanging out with her typical friends. Why is she looking at me?

I look away and make up my mind. It’s probably better to open it with Sam around, maybe I’ll be able to make more sense of it. I bring out my Science book and notebook just to get ready for any activities the teacher tosses at us.

Science class passes by. No paper balls thrown at me or the usual mocking from Alex, which all things considered should be flat-out strange but I can only feel relieved to have a moment of silence in class where I’m just listening and learning.

Soon enough, our recess break comes up and I rush to the cafeteria to save a table for me, Sam, Hearth and Blitz. Hearth and Blitz may be a year higher than us but thankfully they have the same break as us. So I’ll also be able to tell them about the letter.

I manage to get us a table, Hearth arrives first. Signing a greeting at me. I greet him back with a wave.

 _Where’s Blitz?_   I sign, he shrugs.

 _He wasn’t in class._ Hearth replies. That’s weird. Blitz wasn’t one for being absent.

Loud footsteps approach our table.

 “You finally managed to get us a good table!” Sam drops her bag on the seat beside mine.

I smile, “Heh, yeah. Only the best from Swagnus Chase.” Sam looks like she wants to punch me but she seems to decide against it. We start eating.

Just a sandwich. That was always my food for break. I don’t have the fancy stuff like Lunchables or whatever, who eats Lunchables in high school? Pff. My mom used to pack PB n’ J sandwiches for me, but when I moved here I quickly realized that Randolph didn’t know the definition of groceries. Seriously, what does that guy eat?

Sometime after I finish, I bring out the rainbow envelope. Hearth stares at it from across the table.

“I got a letter yesterday, and shoot, I should have brought it today. But whatever, it said that there was a second letter and that I had to find it. This thing was in my locker earlier.” I wave it around.

“Magnus, just open it you, drama queen.” replied Sam. Hearth shakes like he’s having a fit but he’s actually just laughing. It’s an easy mistake to make. I stick my tongue out at Sam and then I tear the envelope open.

The paper is the same as the last one. Wrinkled and seemingly dried after being wet because of the dry and stiff texture of it. Whoever wrote this wasn’t too keen on spending paper.

With the same neat black handwriting, I read it aloud:

 

_~~Hey~~ _

_Lookie here! Told you that you could find it. Honestly this was just a preparation for what you’re gonna have to do. Get ready, Mango Cheese. There are- ding ding ding! Eight letters, including the first two I’ve ‘sent’ you._

_So, you have to find six letters but that’s not all of it. There’s a deadline. Whoopee._

_The deadline is the play which is on Saturday. You have to find it all by the day of the play which is about in.. I don’t know, four days?_

_Yeah, yeesh. You must be wondering, ‘heck, why’d you give these so late if I only have four days?’ Well, my dear Cheesy Mango, that’s what makes it fun. Deadlines always make things fun right? You’re gonna have to hurry up. But hey, at least there’s no classes for the next.. Three days because of the play. So if my calculations and assumptions are right.. You should have one school day this week and three free days. I think three days are enough._

_If you don’t do this, you’ll never really know who I am. Plus, this isn’t a prank or a joke. It’s a fucking dare that I had to do._

_It was only gonna be like three letters but since I’m doing this, why not make it into a game? Yeah. A game. I play those a lot._

_Anyways, I think just by these letters, I think you’re smart enough to figure out who I am. ‘Course, I’m not telling because what kind of shit is that? I have to spoon-feed you? No, I like you for a reason, I guess. Whatever kind of fucked up reason it is, you’re still gonna have to prove yourself. ~~Why~~_

_Find all the letters, ~~I don’t~~ You’ll see who I am. Maybe things will change. ~~I hope they do~~_

_My hint for the next letter: One of my friends, red hair._

When I finish, Hearth and Sam are staring at me intently. I quickly scan the paper again. _One of my friends, red hair._

“Red hair? Sounds like Mallory.” Sam comments, still eating her lunch. Yeah, Mallory Keen. The only red-head here in school, they say she moved from Ireland to here. I share one class with her, P.E today. She is probably the _most_ athletic girl I’ve seen here.

 _Definitely Mallory. Only one here with red hair._ Hearth signs furiously, almost bouncing in his seat from the excitement.

“Four days. That’s..” I trail off, Four days and six letters? I wanted to say it was impossible, it seemed impossible, but Sam tosses me a look. I stay in silence for a few seconds. What’s high school without a little fun? If this person really likes me then maybe I should give them a chance. Who knows, this might be once in a lifetime? It almost seemed like something out of a fairytale.

“Hell, fine. I’ll do it. If I don’t get to the bottom of this then I’ll probably have missed a large part of my life. But--this still seems really sketchy.” I look at my two best friends. If only Blitz was here then maybe..

“I don’t think I can do this alone.” I admit.

“Then we’ll join you. Right, Hearth?” said Sam, looking at the junior student. He nods vigorously, I would honestly understand that Hearth would join me but Sam? She’s been acting weird since yesterday--something doesn’t feel right.

“Great! First, talk to Mallory. I think I’ve got that handled.” I say, choosing not to bring it up. Fortunately, I’ve got P.E. today so I can check Mallory off the list, it’s right after Math which is right after break. But I obviously just can’t go up to her and say, ‘Hey, Mallory! I’ve been getting these letters since yesterday and the writer tells me that you’ve got the third letter!’

“Are you sure?” Sam tilts her head at me. I nod, some social interaction can’t hurt, can it? Well, I’ll find that out later.

The bell rings, marking the end of break. In a matter of minutes, all the students in the cafeteria file out, including us.

“See you at English. Good luck with Mallory.” Sam tells me. I wave goodbye to her and Hearth as we separate and go our ways.

I sit through Math, it’s not great. Unfortunately, Alex Fierro is in almost all of my classes. Here, he’s talking with a huge dude with a beard that shouldn’t be possible in high school. He’s wearing a pink-striped jacket, a button saying _HE/HIM_   and ripped green jeans. I never knew what was with the green-and-pink theme, I guess no one questioned it, even his genderfluidity. He just announced it to the whole school and somehow everyone was cool with it.

I was hoping that he’d leave me alone but alas, my rotten luck. As I walk to my desk which is the desk he’s sitting on, he looks at me.

“You’re on my desk.” I say quietly. Alex raises a dark eyebrow at me.

The class is quiet for a moment before they suddenly chorus, “Ooooh!”

“I am? Oh shit. Hey, Halfborn. Move me over, would you?” He looks up at the Halfborn guy. What kind of name is _Halfborn?_ The guy grins through his beard.

“Move yourself, Fierro.” Halfborn replies and Alex looks back at me, smirking.

“Sorry, no can do.”

“You’re an asshole, d’you know that?” I replied, Alex narrows his dual-colored eyes at me. I don’t know why but I suddenly got a swell of courage in my chest and I just spoke up. I probably shouldn’t have done that, now I’m gonna get plagued with pranks for the rest of my life.

Suddenly, somebody calls out, “Hey! Look, he’s got the gay flag!” My eye twitches. I look at the side of the bag and see the torn rainbow envelope sticking out of it.

_Ah, shit._

I dare a look at Alex and strangely enough, his expression looks almost agitated. The whole class explodes into a chorus of catcalling and whooping. I wanted to run out of the classroom but I couldn’t do that. I can’t run, that’s just being afraid. But seriously I wanted to hide inside my bag.

Alex promptly pushes himself off my desk, his dark boots slamming on the classroom floor, “Hey, shitheads! Fuck off the lot of you!” His voice is hoarse and hard, nothing like the Alex I know. The class silences. A few heartbeats pass where I stare at Alex in shock, his eyes are--livid. I don’t think I’ve seen him this mad before. All the people are staring at him, probably thinking the same thing I am.

Then in a saving grace, the teacher walks in. Everybody rushes to their desks, I watch as Alex flashes me a look that I don’t know how to interpret. Even with my all-knowing brain.

I sit on my chair, the teacher’s dull voice drones on in the background. My mind races back to the events that just happened.

Alex Fierro just defended me. _Defended._

_What the hell is going on?_

 


	4. I get my first side-quest (whoopee)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi im tired, you may call me tired.  
> updated early so i wont worry for next week. i have a shit ton of projects and exams coming up. swear ill try to survive though, love yall readers!

I manage to escape the classroom first, running to the gym to catch my P.E. class. I make sure to throw away the envelope on the way there. Luckily, there’s not a lot of people yet, but Mallory Keen’s there. Doing her stretches, the girl was by herself exercising. Never in my life would I find myself interacting with Mallory but here I am. Trying to find these letters are really giving me motivation which is something I haven’t felt in a long while.

Mustering up the courage, I make my way to the redhead.

My feet walk like they’re on autopilot, I purposely make my footsteps echo through the gym just to alert her. I’m only a few more steps away until she says my name with a tinge of her Irish accent, her calculating green eyes are piercing. She almost reminded me of my cousin, Annabeth Chase.

“Uh.. Mallory.” I say, shuffling my feet awkwardly.

“About time you got here. I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to give chase.” She smiles, seemingly to herself.

“Hah,” I said sporadically, “I get it. Since.. Magnus Chase.. My surname..”

“Anyways. Since you’re horribly awkward and making me feel weird, I’m gonna have to change the topic.” She stands up, stretching her arms out, “The letter. You _are_ here for that, right?”

I start to reply, “Yea-“ But Mallory cuts me off.

“Well, I’ve got a favor to ask of you. Would you be a dear and give this to Halfborn Gunderson, my boyfriend?” She reaches behind her back and suddenly there’s an envelope in her hand.

“H-Halfborn? Your boyfriend?”

“Well, more like temporary ex-boyfriend because he’s a stupid oaf. But I guess I’m stuck with him, aren’t I?” Mallory sighs as she hands me the envelope. I take it like I would a burning match, carefully and gingerly. I look at Mallory one last time before she goes back to exercising, her red hair makes her look like her head is on fire. It looks dangerous in a way.

“Mallory.. About the writer.” I find myself saying.

She doesn’t look at me but I bet that she’s frowning, “I can’t tell you about that, Magnus.”

“Yeah.. I figured but.. Do I know them?”

Mallory pauses in her stretching, but she doesn’t reply. But I know enough to be sure that that was definitely a  _yes_..  _Who was it?_ I step back, waiting to see if Mallory would say more but she doesn’t. I take that as a sign to walk away.

“Great, now I have to go to Halfborn? That huge freakin’ dude?” I mutter to myself. The dude looks terrifying, now that I recall, I do remember seeing him in wrestling matches that the school has and he is a giant.  Not to mention, he’s a friend of Alex Fierro which may mean we won’t be on such good terms. Well, maybe before I would have thought that, but now? Right after that scene with Alex? I’m not so sure.

Two hours of P.E. pass me by, leaving me with aching muscles and shaky legs. Mallory--for some reason helps me back to the classrooms then she parts with me, telling me that I’d find Halfborn in my next class. How she knew that, I didn’t know.

The mystery writer did tell me that this was all planned though.. Hmm.

Halfborn’s sitting at the back of the classroom, almost taking up two seats. I see Sam sitting at her desk, I go to her first.

“What’d she say?” She asks me.

“She told me to give this to Halfborn.”  I bring out the envelope. Sam nods then she asks me something else.

“What happened earlier? People are telling me things about Alex and you.” I feel my face heat up as Sam keeps talking.

“Oh, that was--that was nothing.” I can totally hear all the conversations about me and Alex right now. _“Hey! Badass bully Alex just defended that gay dude Chase!”_

“Really?”

“Yep. It’s all fine. Come on, let’s give this to Halfborn so we can get the next letter.” I make my way to the back of the class, pushing past a group of people talking about how Alex looked so pissed earlier. I wonder what did happen to him then, never in a million years would Alex Fierro have a sudden change of heart and decide to stand up for me.

Halfborn waves us over when he sees us approaching.

“Magnus! That was quite some show earlier! The only time Fierro’s been like that was since--oh, forget about it.” Halfborn scratches his beard, “What brings you here? With.. Samirah al-Abbas, the star pupil. Girl’s smart.” The giant grins, tapping a finger against the side of his head.

“Your girlfriend told me to give you this.” I hold out the envelope.

A look of confusion appears in Halfborn’s eyes, “A letter? For Mallory, that’s stooping quite low. Is she alright?” He tears open the envelope and unfolds the paper.

“Now, the third letter.” I say, Sam looks at me nervously, playing with her hijab, twisting and curling it around her finger.

He suddenly laughs as he reads the letter. “Are you joking? This _is_ the third letter! She threw you for a loop, eh? Well, at least I get a good look at you know. Never really imagined _you_ being A--ah, the recipient of these letters.”

I notice his stutter but I decide not to comment on it. Instead I make a mental note about it so I can think about it later.

“Well, this is stupid.” I look back at Sam then back to Halfborn, “Uh, are you giving it back?”

“Right, and look, Ms. Jackson is here. Time to get back to your seats, hmm?” Halfborn points behind us. Like good students, Samirah and I go back to our desks. I can’t help but glance back at Halfborn who’s either winking or having a seizure.

I sit impatiently, bouncing my legs under the desk. The ache in my limbs are gone but I know that when I wake up tomorrow I’ll suffer the pain of P.E. I just wanted to get the letter but I know I’ll definitely be caught if I try to talk to Halfborn who’s way at the back of the classroom. English goes by painfully slow, all notes and discussion. Learning never seemed this--boring? I was always excited for English.

Finally the bell rings, lunch. I immediately go back to Halfborn but he holds a hand out. “Uh--uh. During lunch. I’m gonna be outside the canteen.” And he leaves.

I glance at Sam, bewildered. “This is completely unfair.” I tell her.

“So you actually want to find the letters now?” She replies.

“I--I just want to know what the heck is in them!” I feel my face heat up. Sam fixes up her stuff then turns to me. She has an exasperated expression like she didn’t believe me. I mean, I just want to know what’s inside the letters. Right?

“Sure, Magnus. Well, we have to meet up with Halfborn later. Let’s go eat first.” Sam nods at me like, _Come, servant._ I trail after her, trying my best not to look dejected.

  

* * *

 

Hearth waves us over when he sees us enter the cafeteria. It’s nice how he still waves at us even if his almost-white blond hair stood out from the rest of the students in the cafeteria.

 _Letter?_ He asks, his right thumb raising up to his mouth then landing on the palm of his left. I shake my head. Hearth pouts glumly.

“I’ve gotta meet Halfborn this lunch to get it.” I poke at my sad lunch, the typical cafeteria slop. Urgh.

Sam observes me as I make a big show of miserably eating a floppy lettuce, “Do you want me to come with you?” I felt as floppy as the lettuce but I knew I had to decide carefully.

Good question. Am I going alone or with Sam? It sounds like a choice I’d see in a choose-your-own-adventure book. I wonder what the outcomes of each choice would be? But of course, I choose the smart choice and get Sam to come with me. She just shrugs and continues eating her food. “Okay, thank you for your helpful optimism.” I snark.

We finish eating lunch just a few minutes before time. Hearth tells us to hurry up so he can read the letter then he bids us good luck. I lead Sam outside the cafeteria, sure enough Halfborn Gunderson is there with--Mallory Keen, Alex Fierro and some other stick-thin guy I don’t know.

But they seem to be talking about something so I don’t intervene just yet, none of them seem to have seen me and Sam. I pull Sam behind a wall with me.

“--you are such a fucking asshole, Halfborn!” Alex’s voice pipes up.

“The writing is eloquently put!” Halfborn’s deep voice bellows out, a laugh caught in his tone. Writing? What did he mean by that?

“Eloquently? Where the hell did you learn that word?” Mallory’s Irish accent bleeds into her words.

“I think it’s nice that he’s actually trying to learn new words.” An unfamiliar voice comments, probably that stick guy.

There’s stomping, “That’s not the damn point! The point is that there was a deal that none of you--“

Sam suddenly flicks me on the forehead, “What are we doing? We are _not_ eavesdropping.” 

I gesture wildly with my hands, “But-“

“No buts. Come on, let’s just get the letter already.” Before I could complain, she steps out into the open and the conversation the friends are having stop abruptly.

I poke my head out.

“Magnus!” Halfborn says with a grin, “Oop. It’s somewhere in--here!” He looks through his bag then a letter appears in his hand. He hands it to me. I give Alex and Mallory a few quick glances. Alex seemed to be really pissed earlier but now he seems to be just okay. He’s staring back at me with heterochromic eyes, I look away, slightly embarrassed. Meanwhile Mallory’s smiling just a bit, her eyes shining as if she knew something I didn’t. Of course she knows something. I hate that look.

The stick guy just stands by at the side, observing the situation like you would a minefield. I could practically see the gears turning in his mind as he watches me take the letter from Halfborn.

“Uh, thanks.” I wave the letter around and turn around to run away. Dude, fuck that shit I’m out!

I meet Hearth back at the table, Sam trailing behind me. She glares at me, presumably for running but I just give her a grin. I unfold the crumpled up paper, the black handwriting brings relief to my chest. Dear gods, finally.

Hearth scampers over to our side of the table to read the letter while Sam lingers over my shoulder.


	5. The Third Letter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> andddd exams are over, time for projects! heres a chapter for yall :')

_Okay. Now, I don’t know what kind of shit Mallory will tell you to do but hopefully it’s not too grueling. That woman’s kind of a jokester but a bad one._

_Right, I’m running out of things to say in these letters and holy hell this is only the third? im literally dying, i never had to write this much before. also im dropping the proper capitalization and shit because these are my letters im writing however i want_

_so magnus. youre wondering who i am well ill tell you_

_i love books, i love pottery, if you ever got close to me id always smell clay. well i guess thats what my friends say, i wouldnt know i dont make it a habit to sniff myself._

_i dont know why or how i like you but maybe youre just really a damn dork that i like. but i dont like admitting that stuff and thats why i sort of agreed/was forced to do this. halfborn, mallory and tj are assholes. but i love them like my own family._

_your hair used to remind me of kurt cobain before you cut it. funny thing is i did like nirvana for a while._

_just kind of promise me that at the end of these letters that youll understand me. wow ~~cuz im a jackass~~ okay thats cutting it way too close. _

_i like to think that im one of those real fucked up people, just so i can somewhat feel special. but of course i hide that. who wants to show that theyre fucked up in public? fuck that noise._

_whatever._

_you know what, consider these letters as your journey to knowing me. ill probably end up not being the person you imagined me to be but hey, no judging._

_whatever you do, dont assume. it makes an ass out of u and me._

_your next hint: my favorite hangout is at the cozy pottery studio just outside and behind the school_

_hah, im bad at hints_

“Wow.” I say after reading it. The more I read these letters, the more I saw an actual person writing this. It didn’t seem like a joke anymore, it was more heartfelt and serious. But was it all really worth it?

We meet Hearth back at our table at the cafeteria. I let him read the letter.

 _I know that studio._ He signs as he hands it over to me. _I walk past that every day. I’ve never seen it open. Closed a long time ago._

“So, our mystery writer hangs out there--but it’s closed?” Sam says thoughtfully, she’s doing her nervous tic again where we plays with the ends of her hijab.

“I’m pretty sure that means we’re supposed to break in.” said I, “All in favor of not breaking into a building, raise their hands.”

We all raise our hands. So, this person wants us to break into an abandoned pottery studio and none of us want to do it.

Hearth taps on the table, _We’ll decide when we see it._

Sam and I nod at this. Maybe we don’t have to break in, hopefully not.

 

* * *

 

Flashforward, we’re breaking in. Well not yet anyway.

It’s after school and we just got out to scout the studio. Sure enough, the doors are chained up and locked tight. I don’t think we could break through that even if we tried. How was this a hangout for our mystery writer? We all decided to come back tomorrow. Meanwhile, I still have to think this through.

Do I really want to go as far as to breaking in somewhere just to find this letter? I’ve come this far, what’s going to stop me? I have three free days.

 _You better make up your mind, Magnus_. Sam had said to me before we parted ways. Her coffee brown eyes seemingly urgent as she told me.

I kicked away a pebble on the road as I walked. People pushed past me as they went off doing whatever they had to do. Walking in a crowd like this, it made me feel insignificant in some way. A pretty dark thought.

As I walk home, the sky gets darker overhead and I start to feel water droplets on my jacket. Rain. I squint at the sky, frowning. _Damn you, rain!_

The droplets progressively become larger and the thunder breaks out like, _How dare you damn me! Damn you!_

I run for cover under an awning. I cursed, I didn’t have an umbrella but I think I could make a few stops while running back home.

But before I could leave, somebody steps under the awning, standing really close to me. The lack of space made me uncomfortable so I shuffled sideways to make room for them. To my surprise, it’s Alex Fierro, the most confusing person of the decade. He’s dripping wet so he probably doesn’t know that this downpour would happen either.

He mutters something I hear as, “Fuckin’ weather.” Or maybe it was _chicken tender_. It was hard to be sure. He shoulders his soggy backpack. Alex doesn’t seem to notice me so I stay quiet. Being this close to him makes me feels strange. Ever since this morning, things have been different and I still didn’t know why. Was Alex involved with these letters somehow? Did he know who wrote them? It couldn’t really be a coincidence that he started becoming kinder somehow when the letters started.

Before I could say anything--not like I would communicate with him willingly. Alex finally notices me. A couple of emotions cycle through his brown and amber gaze, confusion, shock and--relief? For some weird reason, I hold his gaze. He opens his mouth to say something but decides against it. So we just stand there in silence, the honking of the cars in traffic and the pattering of rain were all we heard.

Well, nothing could be more awkward than this, right?

I focus on the rain to push away the fact that I was right beside Alex Fierro--which is easy because I’ve spent my entire high school life trying to ignore the fact that Alex Fierro even existed. He was like a thorn in my side that I couldn’t rid of. The best I could ever do to ignore him was to imagine I was somewhere else. Somewhere I wanted to be.

The rain--it reminded me of all the muddy hiking trips I used to have with my mom. Rain or sun, we always managed to get to our usual spot in Blue Hills. An overlook surrounded by trees and flowery bushes, I had called it my summer home. Now, it must be overrun with greenery since it’s been almost four years when we last hiked up there. Maybe somebody else found it and made it their own camping spot, as long as it was being taken care of, I was fine. I found comfort in the thought.

I wondered if the our mystery writer likes hiking or nature in general. Do they like anything I like besides books? Who’s their favorite author? I wish I could know, maybe I could finally nerd out with someone over books. I’ve never really nerded out with someone before, but I just wanted to talk to someone about the books I read and like.

Would our mystery writer do that with me?

During my deep thinking, I don’t notice the car parked right in front of me until a familiar face pops out of the rolled down window. _Blitzen? In a car?_

“Magnus!” He yells, snapping me out of my daze. I glance to my right, Alex wasn’t there anymore. I quickly jump into the passenger seat. I don’t question how Blitzen got a car, I’ve never seen him drive.

I compliment the car. It was a nice maroon color.

“Thanks.” Blitz replies.

“Where’ve you been?” I asked.

“Drivers’ license. It’s my father’s car.” Was his next reply.

We were caught in traffic but that was alright, I could get comfy here. I also had to tell Blitz about the letters. “So, Blitz. I already ran this down with Sam and Hearth, you weren’t really at school today so yeah..”

He gives me a sideways look, “If it’s about the letters then sign me up.”

That startles me.

“What? Really? Wait, how the heck did you know?”

“Uh, Hearth texted me? Duh?” Oh. Right. Of course, the power of texting.

Since Blitz is right here, right now. I figured that it was a good time to ask him, “I kind of need your advice since you’re the oldest out of all of us and by default should know a lot more. Should I really go after these letters?” I hope that he gives me actual and helpful advice.

“I don’t know, kid,” He hums, “Actually, this happened before to someone. It was this big thing in school way before you came along.”

Huh. “What happened?”

“Dunno. It just died down.” Blitz shrugs, turning the right blinker on. The rain pours down on the windshield, sliding down the glass in an almost mesmerizing way.

I press my cheek against the window, watching the droplets race down to the bottom. My mom and I used to play this game. We’d pick out our own droplets and watch whose droplet would reach the bottom first. If I won, my mom would get me mint ice cream. If my mom won, I had to give her a kiss. Back then, I thought it was pretty fair. I mean, ice cream is pretty fair, especially when it was mint.

The rain outside starts to cease. We were pretty close to the Chase family mansion.

“You’re coming to school tomorrow, right?” I ask Blitz.

“Yep. Hopefully I didn’t miss much.” Blitz gives me a bright, Blitz-esque smile as we stop in front of the Leif Erikson statue in front of the mansion.

“Thanks for the ride..” I open the door, the earthy smell of rain invades the car. “Uh, also. Can you bring bolt-cutters tomorrow?”

“Sure, no problem. What for?”

“We’re probably breaking into a building.” I smile back at him and close the door. The secondhand car drives away, leaving a trail of black smoke behind it.

I stare up at the statue, the fearsome Viking with a metal bra. I guess it does cause terror in some way or another; believe me, if I saw a Viking sporting a metal bra I would still run away as fast as I could. I don’t want the last thing I see to be an axe swinging right into my face.

I continue on my way to the mansion, leaving Leif to guard the outside with his ever-metallic gaze.

There’s no doubt that there’s a leak in my room because of the rain. Maybe I should call the renovation team, obviously old Randolph’s not going to do anything about it. If he was, he would’ve done it by now.

The front door swings open easily as soon as I give it a little love-tap. What the--

I stand there, my mind jumbled. Did someone break in? I swear it would be so damn lame if I died before I even completed the letters.

But I had an idea of who it might be.

Under any other circumstance, calling out would be a horrible idea because that would get me killed like in any other horror movie. But if this is who I think it is then alerting them would be a great idea. I don’t want to be clobbered by whatever ancient weapon that was in there.

“Randolph?” I call out as I step into the building. My tinny voice bounces of the walls. A crash comes from the right hallway. I shrug off my backpack and hold it with both hands. It was a better defense than nothing.

The floorboards creak and agonizingly squeak under my feet. I call out my uncle’s name again. In a quick move, I stand at the entrance of the hallway. It’s unmistakably my crazy uncle Randolph. He looks like he’s searching for something on the floor.

Glass shards glint in the orange-glow of the moth-ridden sconces attached to the wall. It’s his glass case of runes, he--shattered it? Broke it?

“I don’t have time..” The man mumbles over and over. It makes my skin crawl. My mom always told me to be wary of him, by this moment I could see why.

“What are you looking for?” I ask, daring to take just a few steps closer. The hold on my bag becomes loose.

Randolph looks up at me, I could barely see his eyes behind his glasses but I knew he had a panicked look in them. “The othala rune, Magnus. Where is it?” My throat constricts. That rune was missing, he told me so when I first got there.

“I--I don’t know..” I stammer, “You told me that one was missing.” He never told me why.

Othala, the inheritance rune. It had a place in the display case once, evident by the dark rectangular spot in its place. I’ve never seen it in person but Randolph obviously had it before.

His expression changes from panicked to grim. “I remember-- Emma--I...” He stands up and _growls,_ kicking the glass shards away. Then he shoulders past me, leaving me there without another word. _O--okay.._ I stare at the scattered runes, in the low light, they almost seemed to be glowing orange.

A familiar one catches my sweeping gaze. There’s the perthro rune, my breathing hitches.

It’s--right there.. Randolph wouldn’t notice, would he?

I get on one knee, careful to avoid the broken glass. I brush the shards away from the top of the rune, it was made of flat and smooth stone with the symbol etched in it. It almost seemed unreal. I slip it into my jacket pocket and I take my backpack that I had dropped on the floor. Then I look at the mess my uncle had made.

I think that he’s finally kicked the bucket. Well, more like his mind kicked the bucket. He also said a name, _Emma_. It sounded familiar in my mind’s eye. Maybe a distant relative?

For a few more heartbeats I stand there, then I turn away and leave the dim corridor behind me. The other runes almost seemed to be calling for me, their voices louder now that they weren’t behind a glass case.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also, itd do me a big favor if anyone could look back and say what they think about the pacing of the story.  
> im having real trouble over that and i keep thinking that im moving way too fast plot-wise
> 
> thanksies <3


	6. It was Sam and Blitzen who tried breaking in, I swear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i feel shitty and sick! so heres a chapter for all of you. happy valentines/singles day!

_“The othala rune, Magnus. Where is it?” The wild look in his eyes almost look feral. I couldn’t bring myself to say anything, I felt like a deer in the headlights. Suddenly Randolph turns away, breathing heavily. His ragged demeanor reminded me of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde._

_If he’d been Dr. Jekyll all this time, what if he was finally becoming Mr. Hyde?_   _Or was he already Mr. Hyde and that’s why he was staying away?_

 

* * *

 

I wake up in a cold sweat, way before my set alarm is even ringing. My heart feels like it’s pumping a million beats per minute.

Each heartbeat pounded through my body like drums. Sweat trailed down my forehead, my back was already wet. It was really cold like ice water. It didn’t make me feel any better about the nightmare I had.

The room is pitch black, save for my phone that’s lighting up for some reason on my desk. I rub the sleep out of my eyes then I reach up to grab my phone. My hand reaches around on the desk for a while before I finally feel the phone.

The brightness blinds me for a moment, I hiss. This has happened way too many times to me.

Three missed calls and ten texts from Sam. The time was only 4:13 AM. How the hell is she awake at this time?

I check the texts.

 

_Sam: Magnus, pick up the phone_

_Sam: Magnusss_

_Sam: The point of you having a phone is completely non-existent._

_Sam: You don’t even use it._

_Sam: I_

_Sam: I don’t really know why you even have a phone._

_Sam: Pick up_

_Sam: I know you’re not a heavy sleeper._

_Sam: Do I have to pray for you to pick up??_

_Sam: This is the last call I’m going to make before we bust in and take you ourselves._

I’m about to reply to her messages when suddenly my phone starts ringing, I jump in surprise, almost dropping it. Sam’s calling _again._ Her singsong voice blasts from the speakers.

I swipe right and hold the phone up to my ear.

“Disgruntled Magnus Chase speaking.” I yawn.

“Magnus! Thank Allah, come out right now.” Sam’s voice booms into my ear. I hear another conversation droning on on her end.

“It’s so early. I literally hate you.”

“I wake up and pray early all the time so you can’t say anything about it.” Was her reply. She did have a point. Curse Muslim praying times.

I get up from bed. I wince from the ache in my joints. _Damn you, P.E._

I walk over to the window and push away the tattered red curtains covering it, I scan the outside. A familiar maroon car was parked beside Leif the Viking. I almost get whiplash from double-taking, I made sure that I was actually seeing right.

“Wait. Are you with--Hearth and Blitz?! What are you guys doing here?” I watch as Hearth pokes his head out of the passenger’s side and casually waves like it was a perfectly normal thing to be hanging out outside the Chase mansion at 4 AM.

“We are getting the fourth letter right now. Hurry up!” Then she hangs up. I stumble across my room, nearly tripping over a few books and a bucket full of rainwater. I curse and grab my jacket and pair of pants. The perthro rune is still in my pocket, it feels warmer than yesterday when I take it into my palm.

I tiptoe outside my room, watching out for Randolph. Downstairs seemed messier than usual, as if a hurricane had passed by while I was snoring away in my bedroom.

The picture frames which had been propped up on a dark oak bookshelf were face-down on the floor. I pick up a mahogany trimmed one. It would’ve looked nice and normal, if it wasn’t for the big marker-drawn symbol on the glass. It looked like Randolph’s oldest daughter--Emma. _Emma_.

The strange symbol looked like the way I drew fish back in kindergarten. Except its sides were more defined, its tail was open and it was pointing up. Though I doubt Randolph would be drawing fish on his daughter’s picture. It must be something else I didn’t know, now wasn’t the time to find out. I put the picture back on the shelf out of respect. All I’ve ever known from my mom is that my uncle’s family had died a long time ago on a boating trip or car accident or something. If this was the only form of respect I could show my long-dead cousin then I’ve no choice but to do it. I turn away from the fireplace and study the living room once more.

In the highly likely but unlikely event that we would get caught, I’d definitely run away in a heartbeat. Leaving this place is the best thing I can ever imagine, I wanted to go back to Allston and find out what happened to my mom. I should’ve packed my things in case we do get caught. Oh well.

 _I better not keep the others waiting._ I exit through the front door, locking it from the inside. Blitzen’s car wasn’t that far away so I could see Sam, Hearth and Blitzen inside. I jog towards the vehicle. Sam opens the door for me and I squeeze in beside her. Blitz punches on the gas and we drive off.

The car’s atmosphere is almost gloomy, it reminded me too much of the mansion. Everyone was silent, Hearth just kept glancing at me. Like he was begging me to break the silence he couldn’t hear. But I knew that he could _feel_ it somehow.

“All of you are crazy.” I say.

“Blame Sam, I didn’t even get to finish watching Miss Universe! I swear they have the most gorgeous dresses on there but some are _way_ too tacky.” Blitzen complains, glancing up at the rear view mirror to look at us. Hearthstone seems to be nodding in agreement.

“I can’t believe you watch that during 4 AM.” Replies Sam.

“It inspires me, okay?”

“Okay! Moving away from Miss Universe.” I say, “What’s the plan?”

“We’re breaking in.” Sam replies, I give her a confused look.

“What, suddenly you’re a delinquent now? Are we going to start robbing banks?” I look at the two older students in front, “Are you guys actually okay with this?”

Blitzen chuckles nervously, “Well, uh. I don’t think it’s breaking and entering if the building is abandoned.” He doesn’t sound too sure which doesn’t make me feel any better.

 _Trespassing_. Hearth signs helpfully, Blitz leans over to light slap the blond’s right hand.

“Put your seatbelt on.” commanded Blitz. Hearth complies.

Sam clears her throat, “Well, whatever you want to call it. We’re still doing it. You actually need to know how to live, Magnus.”

“That’s pretty big coming from you, the good Muslim girl.”

“Oh shut up. Besides, I’ll keep us out of trouble, I swear.”

I scratch my head, “That doesn’t feel reassuring to me.” Meanwhile Hearthstone just increases the volume of the radio for a reason I’ll never really know. This may come as a big shock to people--but Hearth’s actually deaf. Maybe he got tired of watching us bicker. I don’t mind. The song was pretty good anyway, some rock song that was about crime. It was pretty fitting for what we were about to do.

It’s still dark by the time we get there. Blitzen parks the car just in front of the studio like that’s not suspicious at all. Good thinking, Blitz. Well, at least he brought the bolt-cutters. God, I hope that these would work like it always did in the movies. Hearthstone and I kept watch as Sam and Blitz worked their bolt-cutting magic.

“How’s it going?” I ask them, from what I heard their attempts weren’t going so well. _Oh god, we’re actually doing this._

The lock and chain jangle loudly, echoing through the empty street. I wince.

 “It’s not--agh!” Blitz yelps as a thud resounds on the pavement. “I’m okay! Just dropped it. On my foot.” He squeaks out the last part.

We are so certainly dead. I look at Hearthstone, looking for an ounce of reassurance in his eyes. Sadly he isn’t looking at me but at the road. After two years you’d think that I’d know better by now. Apparently it’s hard for me to remember that Hearthstone is deaf, I remember having a few awkward moments where my mind completely just went and I expected Hearthstone to answer me when I talked to him.

“I think you should do it here.” Sam suggests after a moment of silence, Blitzen grunts and gets back to work. What was going on back there? I wanted to see what they were doing but I didn’t want to take my eyes off the road.

Hearth suddenly starts jumping up and down. For a second I thought he was excited for something but his expression was more like distressed. I looked around for what Hearthstone was trying to alert me to. Then I see it, a car in the distance, its headlights glaring down the road like eyes. I turn to my friends, panicked.

“Guys, there’s a car!” Normally I wouldn’t say it so alarmingly but I think we all had a mini-heart attack in that moment.

“Oh cr--“ Blitz turns around but Sam wastes no time in pulling him down. Hearthstone and I duck behind the car. The passing car rumbles down the road, I can hear it slow down as it drives by Blitzen’s car. I hold my breath. I pray to whatever magical deity that was up in the sky and hope that the car wouldn’t stop and that the driver wouldn’t investigate what was going on.

Thankfully it doesn’t. I watch as it drives down the road, leaving the street in darkness. My heart is thumping wildly. I can feel the tension in the air.

Sam shines the light from her phone at us. “See? We’re good.” She looks pretty shaken up though.

“Only because Hearth and I saw it.” I roll my eyes. Hearth meanwhile blocks the artificial light with his hands, he’s squinting.

“Let’s get back to work.” Sam nods at Blitzen. We watch as they attempt to break the lock open again. Hearth tips his head then signs. _Supposed to break open shackle. Not lock._

I sigh, digging my palms into my eye sockets. “Oh my god, it’s pretty clear that we don’t know what the hell we are doing here.” We were so going to get caught and go to jail.

Sam glares at me, “Like you would know what to do? You’re the one who told Blitzen to bring bolt-cutters.” Maybe we should run away and forget we ever attempted this.

“Welp! That’s it. We’re done.” I say, throwing my hands into the air in a desperate fashion. “Why did I think this would work?”

“I think you should have used a hammer.” A voice that was none of ours replies. I nearly jump out of my then I turn around to locate the owner of the voice. But I think I already knew who it was before seeing her.

It was damn Alex Fierro, smiling in amusement. Her green hair seemed wet and her outfit of the day was a green sparkly shirt underneath a hot pink denim jacket paired with green-striped trousers. On her denim jacket were patches of animals, a smiley face patch by her right shoulder and-- a patch of two snakes that formed a complicated S. They seemed to be eating each other at the tail but I wasn’t sure. I didn’t want to take a closer look. She also didn’t have her normal ‘gender pin’. What was that about?

I didn’t know why but everything about her screamed _female_ to me. I didn’t dare open my mouth.

We all stood still. The scene was reminiscent of an old western showdown. I expected someone to pull out a pistol. That someone being Alex.

“Alex Fierro.” Sam frowns.

“That’s my name, don’t wear it out. She/her today.” Alex crosses her arms, “Seems to me that you schmucks are trying to break into this..” She trails off, staring up at the signage of the building, “Pottery studio at 4 AM?”

Blitzen drops the bolt-cutters as if on cue, causing a raised eyebrow from Alex, “Yeah.. I’m about right. What the hell are you guys doing?” Blitz scrambles to pick it up off the ground.

Sam glances at me, “We’re just trying to--find something inside. And it was locked. So.” _Great_ excuse, Sam. I sigh inwardly. Do I always have to excuse them for everything?

I step forward, as intimidating as Alex was, she was still shorter than me. If I looked straight her hair would be the only thing I see of her. Of course, she still scares me, why wouldn’t she scare me? She could easily smack me upside the head, thankfully she’s never done that in the two years she’s tormented me.

“We just need to break in to find something,” I say bluntly, ”There’s no eloquent way to put that. Plus, what are _you_ doing walking around at 4 AM?”

Alex frowns but I don’t think it’s because of the fact that I spoke up. She seemed to be searching for something in my eyes. Though she doesn’t speak about it.

“Well. Whatever. Since this--finding-something-thing sounds pretty fun. I won’t tell if you’ll let me join.” _Wait, what?_ I gawk at her, wondering if I heard right because that just took a complete three-sixty degree turn.

“You’re going to blackmail us?” I ask.

“That’s just what I said, didn’t I?”

“But who’s ever going to believe you?” Blitz asks out of the blue. Alex waggles her eyebrows.

“I think I can be pretty persuasive if I want to be.” I’ve actually seen her get chocolate from people with just words. I wish I had that ability. Free chocolate.

I look at Samirah who gives me a look like, _Well? I think we should have her along._

Blitzen meanwhile is shaking his head, _Nope. No. No. No._

Hearthstone shrugs at me, signing a bit, _Up to you._

Don’t you just hate it when the decisions come down to you? Can I be not responsible for things for once? I sigh, pondering. _So_ , Alex the incredible annoyance. Obviously, the cons outweigh the pros, I for one do not want Alex Fierro to come with us. Blitzen seems to share my opinion too. Sam wants her along for some reason and Hearthstone is chill with anything. Fuck, I don’t know.

If Alex has connections with the mystery writer than maybe it’d be helpful to have her along. But this is a person who’s been terrorizing me for two years. I don’t like being terrorized. Though I guess the pros of having Alex as a groupie are more important than the cons.

Alex gives me an expectant look as if she already knew what I was going to say, in hindsight she most probably does.

“Fine.” I say slowly, letting a bit of bitterness slip into my voice. What did I deserve to have Alex Fierro come along with us on this hunt? The green-haired girl smirks, tugging at her jacket collar.

She winks at me. “Let me show you how to actually break into somewhere.”

I don’t know whether to feel confused, anxious or excited for the breaking-in lessons.

And this is where I sold my soul to these letters.


	7. We actually break in

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi, hey, hows everyone doing on this fine day?  
> hope you enjoy this update :>

Whatever Alex Fierro has done here, I do not condone it unless you want to go to juvie. Though I admit it was pretty badass, she’d be a great door-breaker. Or whatever you call it.

“So, children. The first step in breaking in is to find a weapon. A weapon of choice.” Alex says, imitating a teacher.

 _To kill or to break in?_ I wanted to ask but I was still a bit scared of her even with Sam, Hearth and Blitz around.

We followed Alex as she walked along the sidewalk. I was about to ask her what she was doing until she exclaimed, “Aha!” then reached down to pick up something off the ground.

Her weapon of choice was a rock. A big rock. “There’s a door out back.” She gestures with her left hand, pointing with her thumb over her shoulder. How she knows that is beyond me.

I give Sam a look, _This is a bad idea._

Alex leads us into an alleyway, complete with the trash dumpsters and horrible rotten smell. I kicked away a moldy apple as I walked. I just hoped Alex wasn’t secretly an ax-murderer. Alleyways are a good sign. Soon she takes a left turn at the end, and we stop in front of a door.

“Won’t there be like, alarms if you smashed the door open?” It wasn’t a good question but I thought it was an important one to ask. Just for my sake and the group’s.

“Don’t be silly. This place has been abandoned for years.” Alex slowly replied as if she was talking to a child, her tone was somewhat condescending which admittedly made me a bit annoyed. I look at the others for support but they just stare back at me. So much for being my collective backup.

Alex jiggles the door handle a few times, seemingly inspecting it. Then she brings the rock down on the door handle with surprising strength despite her petite size. Damn. After about seven more blows, the door handle is wrenched away from its original spot. But she keeps smashing at it until it falls to the ground.

“I’m pretty sure that’s overkill.” I mutter to myself, not wanting to piss off Alex because she’s pretty strong and currently equipped with a large rock. The green-haired, rock-wielding girl kicks the door open.

She turns to us, “Tada! Now let’s get whatever the hell you guys were here for.” She throws away the rock in her hand and casually marches forward into the building.

“Dude..” I gape at how she acts like what she did was perfectly normal. Alex furrows her eyebrows, looking back at me.

“Dudette--or gal.” She corrects me then she shoots finger-guns, “Or maybe just call me none of that, okay?” A corner of Alex’s mouth slid upwards into a slight smirk, then she disappears in the darkness of the studio.

Sam pulls me into the building while my mind hyperventilates.

Alex has a phone flashlight out to guide us. I watch as she confidently struts in front of us. She already seems like she’s perfectly fine without the flashlight, like she’s familiar with the place. She flips on a light switch on the right wall. The studio lights flicker to life. I get a good look at the place.

The pottery studio doesn’t look as big on the outside. It definitely smelled of clay which reminded me of what the writer said in their last letter. I think I’d notice if someone smelled like clay, but I don’t recall anyone at school having that earthy smell. Hm.

I look around. The place is cover top to bottom with posters and graffiti, it would’ve looked cool if it wasn’t for how decrepit it was. To say that the inside wasn’t in good shape would be a horrible understatement. It looks even worse than the worst room in the mansion, the supply room. I get the shivers just by thinking about it. The spiders--webs--stuffed wolves--urgh. Only nightmares came from that room. Only nightmares.

A drawing on the wall catches my eye, I trace it with my finger. It’s those snakes again, the ones on Alex’s jacket. Weird. What do those mean anyway? Maybe it was some kind of gang symbol I didn’t know about.

There was one part of the room that was different. There were a few chairs forming some kind of semi-circle. Inside the chair semi-circle, there was a pottery--wheel? Or kiln? It was the thing that went round and round and round and round and round--uhm. There were also a few pots and slabs of colorful clay.

None of us touched it, it was as if we didn’t want to ruin the serenity of it all. Of course, Alex just sashays into the place like she doesn’t give a shit at all. She even bumps one of the chairs out of place.

“Pretty neat lookin’ hangout.” She comments, holding up a pot to inspect it. I resist the urge to snap at her for her disrespect. The nerve of Alex Fierro. She smirks at me, seeing my held-back expression. Alex puts down the pot. She has that look, the one where she knows something I don’t. Have I mentioned that I hated that look?

I pair up with Sam in searching because half of me doesn’t want to be a third wheel to Hearth and Blitz and the other half thinks that being paired with Alex Fierro is the worst thing ever. So naturally I went with Sam, my trusty go-to partner in crime if she isn’t busy being a perfect girl.

As I leave Alex to her own devices, I look around with Sam. She’s inside the chair fort. Hearthstone and Blitzen were looking around the studio itself while Alex was doing whatever Alex Fierro does in her free time. I suspect her feeding on child tears and broken dreams.

“Where do you think they’d hide the letter?” Sam asks but I notice her toss a few glances somewhere else. I don’t reply because I have no idea where they would hide it. Instead I look under the chair fort, there’s a bunch more of stuff down there.

Sam kneels down next to me, “Oh.”

There are various trinkets and pottery tools. Keychains shaped like the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty and other world landmarks. There was a clay cutter that strangely looked like the perfect murder weapon. I look past those and see the books.

All of which are surprisingly familiar to me. Titles like _The Doorway, Labyrinth, Fire Walk, Road to Nowhere_ and a lot more. These are--practically my favorite books. Holy crud! This writer was like my book-reading soulmate, who knew?! I just wanted to jump up and down like a kid during Christmas. What are the odds that we read the same books?

Some part of me wanted to sit down and read all of these, start to finish. Ah, the bookworm within me. Okay, in that context, it sounded like a disease. (Eww Magnus!!)

“More important matters to attend to.” I mutter to myself. A few light slaps on the cheek bring me back to reality.

“You guys find anything?” Blitzen yells from somewhere in the room. I hear rubble being shifted.

“Kind of?” I shout back, getting back on my feet. The books didn’t seem clue-worthy to me. Just the writer’s personal stash. Nothing else. I looked around the chair fort for more clues as to where the letter could be.

After more fruitless searching, we meet back at the middle of the room. Sam and I found nothing except personal things, Blitz and Hearth come up with nothing, and Alex appears empty-handed, judging by her saying of, “Nope. Nada.”

There’s a few more sections at the back of the studio that can still be checked so we move there. I, with my trusty partner in crime Samirah al-Abbas, search the broom closet.

For a run-down building, you’d think that the broom closet would be horrible. In fact, it wasn’t all that bad. It was one of the nice parts of the studio. No cleaning equipment was seen here but there were even more pottery creations. Bowls, pots and vases lined the shelves. Numerous slabs of clay were also situated here. This was more like the _storage_ closet. Not broom like the sign on the door said.

I pick up a pot and examine, “These are pretty nice.” It didn’t have any markings I could use to find out who made it. Obviously, the writer made these but I was hoping for a name or symbol of some kind. Even initials would’ve been great.

“Yeah, whoever this person is.. They are _devoted_ to pottery.” Samirah looks around the room. It didn’t seem like there were any clues here but we’re supposed to look anyway. So why the heck not?

“You could say that again.” I reply.

We go to either side of the room and search again.

“Hey, Magnus. There’s some kind of note here.” said Sam from the other side of the room, I raise my head to look at her. She sticks a small piece of paper right in my face so fast it almost makes me cross-eyed. _Woah geez._ I blink a few times to adjust to the sudden change. It’s a quote written in black.

_“The reality I choose to believe in does not exist.”_

It read but I knew in my heart--in my heart that it wasn’t complete.

 _But perhaps I, myself do not exist either._ Lionel Einsel from _The Doorway._

I love that book, even if it did involve some uh--sexual stuff. But it was all about alternate realities which I really liked. Haven’t you ever thought of wanting to be in another reality other than this one? To me that would be the best thing ever, to just leave this world behind. I look at the paper again, why this was written on the paper, I didn’t know. Unless--

“What do you think?” asked Sam. I had an idea. My expression probably gave it away since she raises an eyebrow at me.

“Hold on.” I hold up a finger, thoughtful, “We need to get back to the chair fort.”

Sam trails behind me as I make my way back to the fort. The books are there. _The Doorway_ was one of them, I remembered.

I kneel down and grab _The Doorway_ from the stack of books. I’m careful not to jostle the other books so they won’t fall. _The Doorway_ ’s hardbound cover is smooth under my fingertips but I can tell by the spine of it that it’s been read. _A lot_. The familiar cover art is a sight to see. I lift the cover and discover that there’s writing on the title page. It’s the same quote from the note but it’s complete this time and there’s a page number written under it. I flip over to that page and there it is. Stuck between the pages.

_The fourth letter._

Holy--I actually solved something! Accomplishment flooded through me. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt that.

Sam calls the others over. They all peer over my shoulder as I read. Though as my eyes trail downward, a wild plot twist reveals itself!

 

_congratulations you have found the fourth letter_

_sike! heck ill be honest, this isn’t the fourth letter. its more of a bucket list of mine because why the hell not? ill explain after._

_so my bucket list. its kind of lame and shortened because i don’t think youd want to be skydiving or travelling the world. i don’t think you could do that in three days. (hopefully you’ve found this before the three days)_

_first ditch school and run away somewhere_

_second vandalize the hell out of the principal’s office because that guy is a dickhead a certified a+++ asshole_

_third piss off the librarian ms smith oof this is tough isnt it? that woman is a tough one. bye bye visits to the library. but i always wanted to piss her off, just for funsies_

_fourth be a fucking master at pottery well i guess you cant be a master but you can try. id love to see you try_

_fifth get another tattoo with halfborn. you should know him by now. we got tattoos once when we were dared. holy crap it was painful but it was worth it. i seriously dont know how he has that many tattoos. im not saying that hes better than me or anything. pfft. ridiculous._

_sixth drink until im wasted this is in my bucket list partly because i am sure that youve never had more than one sip of proper alcohol._

_okay so instead of this being my bucket list make it as like your own bucket list because youre doing all this for me because if you just collect all these letters its gonna be way too easy. and we all know thats no fun!_

_it was surprisingly hard to decide what i was gonna put in these that would somehow form this whole emotional journey for you and me but hell that is way too cheesy. so i decided to make it a bucket list, a lame and short version. well, i don’t want to scare you off, do i?_

_anyway, you have to do all this in order or youll mess it all up. i guess its hard but hey youve been a sit-still-look-pretty student for too long. i dont care (i actually do care) how cute you are youre still boring._

_to do all this will make you a delinquent which is exactly my plan *cue evil laugh also dont worry youll find the actual fourth letter soon. and by soon i mean in a long time. good luck and have fun maggie boy. i dont think itll be that bad. adventure is good for your bones._

_ps the maybe-seventh thing id like to do is to kiss your stupid face. but dont worry you dont have to kiss yourself._

_xxx_

“Well,” I say, “Crap.” I would’ve said a lot more but that last part just made me choke and turn red with embarrassment.

I look around, Blitzen still seems to be processing the information and Hearthstone didn’t know what to say/sign, his hands were only shaking. Sam just sighs heavily, as if disappointed and finally, Alex was just fiddling with the buttons of her jacket. She seemed to be mildly disinterested in the bucket list.

We stay in silence for a moment, taking in the information we just read. Then someone’s stomach rumbles, breaking the ice.

Alex, somewhere behind me, shuffles her feet. “Hey, can we get like pastries or something? All this looking around made me hungry. I bet we can find a 24/7 café around here.” We all mutter.

Good idea. Scratch that, _Great idea_. I hadn’t eaten breakfast yet since a certain trio woke me up at 4 freaking AM. And if waking up at 4 AM wasn’t enough, they rushed me out of my house just to get a freaking bucket list/letter. I quickly glare at said three friends while they gave me confused stares.

Back to the subject of eating. We all silently agree with her by tossing meaningful glances at each other. But I think it was the chorus of stomach rumbles that really convinced us to get something to eat. Alex led the way out of the studio, she really seems to know her way around.

I’m the last out of the studio, I felt compelled to look back at the chair fort and so I did. There it was, cozy and nice. It wasn’t my personal definition of comfy but it did at least feel homely. Somehow, I could see why this place was their favorite hangout. Something felt right with it, it felt attuned with the person I was reading about in the letters.

I close the back door as best as I could. I managed to find the rock Alex used earlier to bust it open. Using the rock to keep the door closed, I followed the others to the car.

Outside, we waited around while Blitzen started up the car. For some reason, it took a long while but I guess it was because it was a secondhand. I look up at the sky, it was definitely brighter than before. It was past 6 AM. Who knew breaking into somewhere took time? It always seemed quicker in the movies and books. It’s all lies!

Blitz tells us to get inside. Hearthstone gets shotgun, he makes sure to wear his seatbelt first this time. Meanwhile I’m wedged between Sam and Alex. Can I just say that physical contact with Alex Fierro is the worst? Every time I wiggled to get more space--I mean, to widen the space between me and Alex. She just rolls her brown and amber eyes at me and takes up the space. After a while, I realize my efforts are useless so I lean into the space between Blitzen and Hearthstone’s seats.

“So.” Sam clears her throat, “Where are we going?”

“What about that nice little coffee shop on Tremont?” Blitzen asks.

 _Is that even open yet?_ Hearth raises an eyebrow. Blitz shrugs in reply.

“Falafel please.” I add to the discussion.

“I don’t think _Amir’s_ even up yet.” Sam rolls her eyes at me.

“Diner.” Alex drawls absentmindedly, she’s looking out the window. I can only wonder what she sees out there. Maybe nothing.

Blitzen looks at us in the rearview mirror, “Diner sounds good.” That surprises me a bit, that he just agreed with Alex. Earlier he didn’t want her along at all. Maybe he’s adjusted to her already.

But on the subject of diners.

I knew that we were all thinking of the same place, South Street Diner. Only good vibes and good food came from that diner. It was a long way from here but they served great stuff nonetheless. Sam took us there for our first study group then we moved to the library for distance reasons. The great food and occasional chatter in the diner was something I missed. I wonder if the staff there are still the same people.

Only one way to find out!


	8. Breakfast and vandalism apparently go well together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks to all those who still manage to read this :p  
> also ive noticed that ive picked up this schedule of updating every 5 days (oops)

After talking while waiting for breakfast, we decide that the first thing of the bucket list should already be checked off since we weren’t coming to school to learn. Instead we were going to _vandalize_ the principal’s office. Maybe our mystery writer has some sort of sadistic streak. I just hoped it was all worth it.

“I totally think we should steal that dude’s chair.” Alex comments, she ordered a breakfast burrito which I didn’t know was possible. She also ordered and poured a ton of French fries on her tray so it buried the breakfast burrito. I only had pancakes, like Sam. I’m a simple guy.

“The principal’s chair?” I ask, confused. Why his chair? “Is stealing considered vandalism?”

“Why would I know? It’s just for fun. He’s always sitting smugly in that thing.” She shrugs, popping a fry into her mouth. I look at the others for suggestions, I didn’t want to take suggestions from my tormentor.

Hearth signs, _How to get in?_

“Yeah, how do we get in with all the CCTVs?”

“I’ll handle that.” Alex raises a hand, giving us all a confident smile. I’ve never actually seen her smile without malice. I mentally shake my head. More important topics to discuss, Magnus.

None of us question how she’ll handle that but we all nod.

Samirah pokes at her pancakes, her appetite seemingly lost, “Can’t this wait until night? I mean like, there’s no people that way.” she asks, a concerned look on her face. Thank god, she actually has even the tiniest bit of fear about this whole operation. I was seriously wondering if Sam was completely sold to this thing.

Alex points a fry towards us, “Well, according to you guys. You told me that there was a deadline. On Saturday? And there’s a shit ton of stuff left to do.” And the writer said that we had to do this in order so we couldn’t skip this and do the other tasks.

“I believe we can wait for night,” said Blitzen, “We can plan for the meantime, on what to do and stuff.” Leave it to Blitz to be the clear-headed one here, meanwhile Hearth steals fries from his plate. I wish I could be as laid-back as Hearth.

“Oh golly, we’re wasting time! What an amazing strategy.” Alex throws her hands up, silence falls upon the table and the mood darkens. Awkward is the current definition of our group right now. I occasionally look at Alex--who is sitting right beside me. Here’s to hoping that nothing bad would befall me, like a soggy burrito for example.

It was weird seeing her upset though, it was as weird as yesterday when I saw him actually angry. The more time I spend with her, she seems more real. Not this figure that pranked and humiliated me for the past two years. Alex seemed like a person that had their own problems, but despite this, I was still iffy about her. She’s like this for _some_ reason that I wanted to ask about.

Asking now wasn’t a good idea though. She might pummel me.

Breakfast is finished in silence, I couldn’t find any good topic to talk about. We relocate to the car where we sat still for a few minutes.

Everyone did their own thing. Sam’s just on her phone, browsing some app. Hearth was playing with the stereo as Blitz signed to him in rapid-fire speed. Hearthstone was signing back from time to time. I could understand a few words like _BREAK_ and _TROUBLE_  but besides those I couldn’t keep up with their conversation so I decided not to join in that. Alex is just staring out the window again, she was so still I could’ve mistaken her for sleeping. But her neck was craned sideways so a little of her neck showed and that’s when I noticed a tattoo on her nape.

A tattoo! The only times I’d seen tattoos on teenagers were when I met Amir. That guy had some Arabic text on his biceps and man, did it look badass.

Though Alex’s tattoo was not a bunch of Arabic text, I had to crane my neck to see it clearly. I thought it was only an eight or something but then I realized that it was the recurring figure-eight snakes.

Holy crap.

Those snakes _again_. I’d seen them three times now, seriously what is up with that? Alex and the writer definitely have to be connected to each other somehow because that symbol doesn’t seem to mean nothing. It has to mean _something,_ right?

Then Alex, as if she could hear my thoughts, turns her head towards me like  she’s a freaking owl or something. Her suspicious gaze meets mine and I turn away. I bite my tongue and slump against the car seat. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Alex staring at me for a few more seconds then she turns to the window again.

Few more silent seconds pass.

Blitzen claps his hands, “Okay! We’ve decided, we’ll do it now.” We all perk up. Blitz continues, “Alex will do whatever plan she has and we’ll hang out outside until it’s good to go.” Then he smiles at me, a devious smile that I’ve only seen on him when he pulled that small prank on Hearth before.

“Let’s vandalize that guy’s office!”

 

* * *

 

“So, Blitz. Getaway driver, Hearth and Sam guard while you,” Alex pokes me in the chest, “Come with me.”

Here we were gathered outside the school parking lot like creeps. Hell, we were even in a circle.

“Why me?” I ask.

“Just because, I also want to keep you in my sight in case you mess up.” She replies, giving my shoulder a few pats, I shifted away to avoid the physical contact, “But try not to, okay? I’m not your babysitter.” I didn’t argue further. The others agreed with everything else and so the apparently non-existent plan was set. For some reason she didn’t discuss the plan with _me_ , Alex just told Blitzen to wait in the parking lot while Hearth and Sam came with us to act as look-outs. Was there even a plan?

I walked next to Hearth and Sam as we entered campus. Hearth decides to tell me what he and Blitzen were talking about earlier. How they were going to do this and the risks. Blitz normally wasn’t a risk-taker. None of us were. Though I guess even Blitzen is excited for this bucket list. Hearthstone also told me that the worst case scenario is that we would be expelled. As expected, but heck. If I ever got expelled then maybe I had a good reason to finally go back home. My mom probably wouldn’t see it that way but hey, I miss her a lot.

We then depart and enter the school, careful to avoid any guards and Heimdall, the all-seeing head security guard here. By all-seeing, it meant that Heimdall was always watching the CCTVs. He reminded me of that scary screaming chimp in Toy Story 3, that toy gave me nightmares. Luckily, unlike the chimp, Heimdall doesn’t scream like a maniac with cymbals into the PA speakers whenever he caught someone doing something bad.

Well, at least _I’ve_ never heard him do it before, so who’s to say he hasn’t done it before?

“Alright, Chase. To get this straight, ask me anything. Just not the stupid questions, I don’t have enough brain cells to answer the questions you should know the answers to.” Alex crouches next to me, her two-toned eyes gleaming with _something_.

 _Um, okay--_ I glance at Sam and Hearth then back to her, “Well, could you tell me how we’re getting into the principal’s office?”

“Why, an unplanned visit, of course!” She tosses a wolfish grin at my direction.

“You aren’t serious.” I raise an eyebrow. An unplanned visit. That sounded like the worst idea ever.

“Oh, I am. I’m in cahoots with this guy so it’s cool.” Alex pulls me behind a locker when a guard passes by. I almost stumble.

“You’re in cahoots--with the principal?!” I whisper, confused. She nods, shooting finger-guns at me and then Alex walks ahead when we turn into a hallway. I follow her, looking back from time to time.

 _We’re good._ Hearth signs. Sam fans out from behind him, giving me a thumbs up. That reassures me a bit.

Before I know it, we’re in front of the office. I looked back, seeing if there was anyone following us, a guard even. But there was no one. I never realized that our school had such terrible security. Yikes, that wasn’t something I could take comfort in.

“What about Thor?” I ask Alex.

She looks at me, frowning like she just remember that he existed. “Oh, yeah. That guy.”

We push open the door and poke our heads in to see if Thor was in. But he wasn’t. No red-headed assistant principal was at the front desk. Normally, the guy would be there, on the phone and eating Cheetos. One time, I had to go to the Principal’s office because principal Odin had an announcement to tell me about a scholarship or something. I thought it would be boring in the waiting room but apparently not, insert Thor the assistant principal.

Thor told me a _lot_ of things. Including the fact that he had two pet goats that he was raising only to eat them. He told me stories about the school, Odin and the other staff. Sometimes he lets me watch cat videos on Youtube on the computer, he’s an avid cat video watcher. He’d be a pretty cool guy to be around if it wasn’t for the fact that he always had cheese fingers and farted. Granted that his farts weren’t the ones that stink, they were the loud ones. Still pretty awkward and embarrassing though.

Not seeing him here was surprising, maybe he had a day-off? The guy’s pretty dedicated to his job as assistant principal, despite leaving cheese all over the computer and phone. I was pretty sad to not see him here, we could’ve just watched videos all day. But if he was here, he probably wouldn’t let us enter Odin’s office.

We sneak into the waiting room and close the door behind us. I let out a _phew_ but Hearthstone tells me that our job wasn’t done yet. Sadly, he was right.

“Can we rest? Just a little bit?” I collapse on one of the couches.

“Wimp.” Alex chuckles but she also sits down on one of the couches. Propping up her boots on the cushions.

Sam takes an armchair and picks up a magazine from the coffee table. Hearthstone sits next to me, playing with his ever-present candy-cane scarf. He’s had that thing for _forever_. I don’t think I’ve never seen him without it.

“Hey, how are you holding up?” I tilt my head back, looking at the blond.

 _Fine, you? This is all crazy._ Hearth’s hands moved around gracefully as he signed. It always amazed me how people could do ASL, I never was fluent in it despite my best efforts. I don’t have good hand coordination, if you’d ask me to pick up a cup, my hands would flail everywhere.

But Hearth didn’t sign full sentences, just fragments and words which sometimes made it hard to understand Hearthstone but I guess you get used to it. After two years, I like to think I had at least learned how Hearth forms sentences in ASL.

I sign back, _Good. Crazy yes._ It’s not the best reply but hey, it’s something.

Hearth’s lips crook up into a little smile and he makes the gesture for _STRONG_. He curls his hands into fists then he flexes a small bit as if showing off his lanky arms, then he points to me. _STRONG. YOU._

I can’t help but smile.

 _Thanks. You too._ Compliments from Hearth were rare so it was better not to question them but to just cherish them. I consider patting him on the hand but I decide against it. What surprises me is that _he_   pats me on the hand. Hearth isn’t much for physical contact, so am I, but I guess that he’s in a good mood. We stay in comfortable silence, I almost forget that we’re supposed to do some crime today.

Wait, we actually did some crime today anyway. Well, crap.

“Alright, sleepy time is over, kiddies.” Alex calls from across the room, voice dripping with boredom, “We gotta do this shit some time.” I groan in protest but Hearth pulls me up. The weird thing about Hearthstone, sometimes he was really strong but most of the time he was as delicate as glass. One time, I remember a gift Blitzen gave him for Christmas, a bubble-wrap onesie. It was immediately rendered useless when we popped all the bubbles. Ah, good times of peace and not-crime.

We gather around the doors to Odin’s office. I look up.

I blanche as I stare at the big oaken doors, I feel butterflies fluttering around in my stomach. Odin wasn’t a close friend of mine but geez, was I nervous. Who wouldn’t be nervous if they were about to meet their school principal just to vandalize his office?

Leaning against the doors, Alex signals to us, _On the count of three_. As she counts down with her fingers, I brace myself.

On three, she pushes the doors open, grinning, “Odin, buddy!”

Odin wasn’t a principal who roamed around campus so we didn’t see him around much. He only appeared at inspirational seminars, known only as Odin the motivational speaker. Even if I didn’t see him much, I only really knew his face from the pictures that showed the school staff.

Nothing could’ve actually prepared me for this though.

Dark was one word I could use to describe the office. The only lighting was the sun rising outside, shining through the windows. But the light was so weak, I could barely see the entire room. By the way it was set up, it seemed like a scene straight from a horror movie. The only thing missing was Odin turning around in his chair and twiddling his fingers creepily.

I had questions. Why is this office so creepy? Why are there no lights? Most importantly, was this guy a vampire?

Then in the middle of the room situated a dark desk with two chairs in front of it, facing each other. And there he was, the man himself. The principal was sitting on his chair behind the desk.

 _Ding!_ Suddenly a notification dramatically pops up on the laptop on the desk and his whole face is lighted up. Geez, that is a bright laptop screen.

He looked like a military general with a square-set jaw, his face was marred like he’d been mauled by a bear. Gray hair was slicked back on his balding head, I wondered if it made him feel younger. What really got me was his eye patch. It was just a big black spot in the place of his right eye. I felt uncomfortable just by looking at it.

People--by people I mean my friends told me that he lost his eye from some epic fight. Thor, the assistant principal told me otherwise. Apparently, the real story was he lost it in a deal between him and a guy from the school department called Mimir. The deal was that if Odin was really dedicated to being a principal then he’d give up his eye. Turns out that the guy was dedicated--props to him by the way. But giving up your eye just to be a principal? Ouch.

Also why an eye? That’s such a weird thing to lose.

Though the man I saw before me didn’t seem like the type of guy who’d give up his own eye just to become principal. He just looked like a grizzly cheery dude. Odin was sitting in his big swivel chair, his square-ish hands gripped the arm rests. With the way he was sitting, the chair looked like a throne. A very formal-looking throne.

“What’s with the dark theme? Are you going emo?” Alex scoffs, not looking very impressed. Odin going emo? Oh no, who would be our motivational speaker now?! Hopefully no one. Those seminars bored me to death.

The principal raises his two hands and claps, all the lights switch on. I resist the urge to sarcastically marvel at the technology. Damn. This is what our tuition fees were for, guys. Clap-activated lights. Y’know instead of fixing the boy’s bathroom which was always dirty and horrible. Amazing, our money is truly well spent.

“Alex Fierro. I didn’t get any complaints about you today. Yet.” Odin’s gruff voice resonates throughout the office. He has a big office, a very big, very vandalize-able office.

“I--am being a saint.” Alex strides forward, tapping on the smiley face patch on her jacket. “You know, like I promised. I’m gonna get put on Santa’s nice list!”

I realized when I got a closer look at it, the smiley face had a middle finger up.

“You always break your promises.” Odin snorts, then his one-eyed gaze turns to me, “Why, if it isn’t Magnus Chase. A perfectly clean and good student, why are you hanging out with this troublemaker?” He nods at Alex. My palms feel sweaty. It wasn’t every day I casually talked with the school principal like we were bros.

I try to think of a good reply but Alex flashes a look at me out of the corner of her eye like, _Back off, Chase. Shut your pie hole and be a good boy._ Okay, maybe  I got way too much from that one look but I’ve learned that one of Alex Fierro’s traits is being overkill. She looks back to Odin.

“Chill. I’m doing initiation rites for him.”

Wait.

 _What_.

Initiation rites? Hold on, if this was some sick and twisted initiation for some cult I was unknowingly joining, sign me the frick off.

Odin leans forward, expression curious, “Is that so? Why’d you bring him along?” He looks way too relaxed for a principal who just heard the words _initiation rites._

“Is it wrong to bring a friend? Just touring him around your prestigious office, _sir._ ” She replies, sarcasm evident in the last word. Alex was just back-talking Odin like they were old buddies. Knowing Alex--ahem, I don’t know a single thing about her. But they probably would be old buddies judging how many times Alex gets landed in here because of complaints from teachers.

“I s’pose not,” The principal replies, stroking his chin like he had an imaginary beard. Then he stares at me with one coffee-brown eye, observing me like a crow that was eyeing its prey. Some part of me wanted to crawl somewhere and hide. “Say,” He begins, “Have you picked up my latest motivational guide? You look like you could use it. Students these days, I tell them--“

Alex clears her throat before Odin could launch into a speech about buying his books. “Initiation rites?” She repeats. Odin clears his throat as well.

“Yes, rites.”

“A-5 Gunderson.” Alex slips her hands into her jacket pockets. Gunderson? Wasn’t that Halfborn? What did he have to do with initiation rites? Jesus, was he in some kind of cult?

“I’ll take my leave then.” The man suddenly stands up. Holy heck. He must’ve been around six feet tall because he could easily tower Hearthstone who was the tallest among us. Odin winks--well, blinks at us and he leaves. Could one-eyed people even wink? Isn’t that considered blinking for them? It hurt my brain to think about.

I turn to Alex, “What was that about?”

“Come on, it won’t be long ‘til he comes back. Call in Hearth and Sam.”

“The guy just literally left us! In his own office!” I glance at the door, half-expecting Odin to burst back into the room.

Alex then turns to me, glaring, “Oh really? I completely did _not_ witness it. I’m suddenly completely blind!” She waves her arms around, “Now, please fucking call in Hearth and Sam.” When Alex Fierro glares at you, it’s either you’re close to being punched or you’re about to get punched. If it’s the latter, then it’s time to haul ass and do what she says. But when it’s the former, you’re totally fine. (JOKE!)

Hearthstone and Sam are waiting outside when I poke my head out of the doors. They seem shaken. I gesture for them to come inside, then I lock the door behind them.

“How?..” Sam trails off, Alex grins in reply, waggling her eyebrows, her eyes shining with mirth. “Okay, Ms. Fierro. Whatever you did, that was pretty cool.”

 _Good job_ , Hearth signs, since Alex can’t understand ASL, I translate for her.

“Thanks.” She replies, “Well, I’m not actually sure if you actually said that but for once, I’ll trust Magnus.” I try to fight down a small smile, Sam looks at me, raising an eyebrow. I look at her, raising an eyebrow back.  

Silence then hangs in the air, we look around wordlessly.

I look at Alex, “Vandalize?”

With a sly smirk, Alex looks around the heavily decorated room. Motivational guidebooks and trophies lined the shelves. Plenty of pictures and posters hung on the walls. My mind started racing with possibilities.

“Vandalize.” Alex nods. She brings out a sharpie from her pants pocket and uncaps it.

This time, I actually feel excited even if there was a huge chance I’d be expelled.

 

* * *

 

Who knew that writing explicit quotes and cheesy jokes on posters and pictures of our school principal would be fun? Sure, Alex called me a nerd for it but I was a proud nerd. Odin had a lot of cat posters and it just so happens that I have a lot of cat puns in store.

Hearthstone, for some reason, had an infinite amount of Post-it notes in his pockets. He covered every inch of flat surface with the colorful little papers. The office looked like a rainbow-ish nightmare. If it was Alex, she’d cover the place with all the green and pink Post-it notes.

Sam did the evilest thing in my opinion. She went ahead and put a sticker under the mouse and then changed all the desktop icons to the Google Chrome icon and renamed them all to ‘Google Chrome’. Also, apparently Odin is a big fan of wolves, his desktop background almost made me scream in terror. Damn wolves. I got Sam to change the background, so instead of wolves, it was a bunch of pink sparkly unicorns instead.

Alex sat in Odin’s seat. I understood why she wanted to steal it. It was a large and sick-looking swivel chair that felt really comfortable. The cushions were soft enough to let you sick into the chair. Alex looked really small in it. She went around the office in the chair, kicking her feet against the ground to move. It was pretty funny to see her rolling around the office and drawing and writing all over everything. Anyone could tell that she really hated Odin because she wrote _a lot_ of obscenities to last a lifetime.

She also checked out the drawers in Odin’s desk. There was nothing but papers in all but one drawer. Apparently Odin had a hidden chocolate bar stash.

“That fucker!” Alex had said, scowling. Her eyes looking like laser beams could shoot out of them at any moment.

“What?” I looked into the drawer, thinking it was some folder full of scandalous files about her but it was just a _shit_ ton of chocolate bars.

“These are the chocolate bars he confiscated from me!”

“He confiscates chocolate bars?”

“Only mine. Principal Dickhead’s convinced that I’m stealing it from people when I’m just asking them _nicely._ ”

“I don’t think persuading people into giving you their chocolate is asking nicely.”

“Say one more and I’ll skin you, Chase.”

“I am shutting up.”

Then she made her jacket into a make-shift bag and put all the chocolate bars in there. We continue on with our daily business.

“I think that’s good enough.” Sam says as she watches Alex doodle on Odin’s desk. The drawing was a lovely portrait of Odin dressed as a devil with a tiny evil mustache. Hearth sticks an orange Post-it note above the doodle.

“If only I had more time.” Alex mutters wistfully, “Though I think we’ve done a good makeover of this place.” She scribbles on the Post-it note then she stands up. I shuffled sideways to get a good look at the little paper.

On the note, the figure-eight snakes stared back at me. _No way._ Alex--she just drew that symbol. Back at the studio--did she draw that too?

I wanted to ask but the green-haired vandal runs past me and checks the door.

“No one’s here, come on!” Alex shout-whispers, ushering us out the door. We fiddle with the office door, panicking and we’re finally free of the office. We take off down the hallway, escaping back to our get-away vehicle in the parking lot.

The urge to shout, “Whoohoo!” overwhelms me while we ran down the hallway. Alex grins at me and joins me in whooping. _Holy hell we just did that_!

My euphoria is ruined when we run past a guard who yells, “Hey!” We look back and run even faster. My legs and lungs are protesting. I can hear the guard’s footsteps trailing after us, echoing throughout the hallway.

We manage to escape the school and run to the parking lot. “Start the car!” We all shout, save for Hearth, who furiously signs _START CAR_ over and over. Blitzen thankfully understands us and immediately starts the car, the engine roars to life. Blitz throws the doors open and we all easily squeeze into the vehicle. How we did it reminded me of the circus trick where a lot of clowns squeezed into one car. Except instead of clowns, we were four sweaty, panting teenagers running away from school security.

Blitzen then hightails the heck out of the parking lot, the wheels screeched across the ground. The engine roared in protest. That certainly left skid marks on the concrete.

 In no time, we were away from the school.

Were we technically criminals now? I mean, we just vandalized Odin’s office. We ran away from a guard. And we just drove out of the school parking lot faster than a bat out of hell.

“Holy crap.” I say, panting. My legs are aching like hell. I lean back on the seat cushions, enjoying the sweet AC and comfy cushions.

“Dude, that was--awesome.” Alex wheezes, her curly green hair is tussled and blown back. Her heterochromic eyes look even more bizarre when they’ve got a crazy look in them.

Sam just puts a hand on her chest and closes her eyes. She’s praying, I’m not surprised, I’d pray to whatever god I believed in too if I had just vandalized the school principal’s office. Hearth is grinning wildly, _Good shit._ He signs, I barely see him curse so it was surprising to see him sign the swear word. Then he waves around a Post-it note and sticks it to Blitzen’s forehead.

“Do I even want to ask what happened?” Blitz laughs, giving Hearth a look. We immediately went into story mode, explaining everything that happened earlier. I added little facts here and there while Sam actually told the story properly. Alex added sound effects for whatever action Sam said and Hearth acted them out.

“Okay, maybe I regret being getaway driver.” Blitzen admits, chuckling.

 _Join us for the next_. Hearth signs while messing with the radio, he switches across a million different stations faster than I could say “Falafel.” Then he stops on one, I don’t know how he knows when to stop, maybe he just did it random or maybe he went by the vibrations of the speakers to find out what the song ‘felt’ like. That’s what some deaf people do right?

Blitzen nods, “I definitely will. What’s the next one anyway?”

“Pissing off the librarian.” Alex replies.

“Oh.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> good morning/afternoon/evening to all you lovely people <3


	9. We spy on an asshole and Alex flips her shit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tbh i originally wasnt going to include this but heck it!  
> hope you somewhat enjoy because im not confident about this one

The car ride to the library is full of stories and planning on how to piss off Ms. Smith. I think the best way to piss her off is to be noisy in general. And maybe doing cartwheels on the tables. I didn’t bring up the fact that we’d get kicked out of the library for forever, the mood was too good to spoil.

“There were like rumors that Ms. Smith had a dungeon for all the people who were noisy in the library.” said Blitzen.

I let out a _pfft_ , “That was totally fake though.”

“Yeah, but you believed it when you first came there and you didn’t come back until a few weeks later.”

“I had my reasons!”

“Magnus’ face was like, ‘Oh crud, really?’ then he just took off.” Sam made a running gesture with her hands and feet which looked ridiculous seeing as she was sitting. The others burst into laughter.

The conversation eventually devolved into ‘baby stories’ about me and my first times in Boston. It was pretty embarrassing but I was somewhat cool with it. Sometimes you gotta sacrifice your dignity just to keep your friends entertained. I tuned out of the conversation soon enough though.

It takes a lot of time for me to build up the courage to ask Alex about what the initiation rites thing with Odin. She perks up when I finally do ask her, like she was waiting for me to ask her about it. She even abandons the Hershey’s chocolate bar she’s been eating.

She snorts, “You didn’t actually think I was serious, did you?” Her voice was so soft that I could barely hear it. Maybe she didn’t want the others to hear?

I admit I _did_ think she was serious. My expression must’ve given it away because Alex tries to stop a laugh from escaping her lips but she fails. A clear, short laugh. In all of my two years here, I’ve never heard Alex Fierro laugh. She actually felt more human.

 Before I could explode from confusion, she continues, “It’s a code actually.”

“Huh? For what?”

“Odin.” Alex wears a bittersweet smile, “He ignores all of my records if I keep him updated with all the gangs or bad stuff in school.”

I blink, “So, wait. You’re like an inside-woman. Holy crap, you’re like an actual spy!” I must’ve said something Alex didn’t like because her expression turns sour. It was as if she didn’t understand why I found that to be cool. Being a spy is cool.

“He’s an asshole for doing it. But whatever keeps me in school.”

“I never knew you cared about school.”

The corner of her mouth curved up into a smirk. “I don’t. I care about my friends and staying in Boston.” Staying in Boston?

“Why Halfborn? Is he in a gang or something? What’s gonna happen to him?”

“Halfborn? No. I was just messing with him, he’ll probably get suspended for a day or two.” She replies, “I think Mallory’s gonna be glad to not be bothered by the stupid guy.” It boggles my mind.

“Suspended? Won’t Odin find out that he’s not in a gang first?”

“Yeah, suspended. No questions asked,” Alex shrugs, “I don’t know why he trusts me so much. I guess he believes that he’s got me fucking trapped in a corner or something, but of course, that’s complete bullshit.”

“Weird.”

“Weird.” She agrees, biting into her chocolate bar. I try hard not to stare at it, but Alex seems to notice anyway despite my efforts, a small--smile or smirk? appears on her face. I wasn’t so sure, she wasn’t looking at me directly. “Y’know, Maggie, he’s left me alone in that office for so long. He never forces me to get out once he does, he just leaves me there.”

Oh? “If you’re so against Odin, then why didn’t you do it before?” I tip my head.

She breaks of a piece of the chocolate and hands it to me, “Hate to admit it but you guys gave me strength to do it.”

I take the chocolate from her. I wanted to ask further but she turns her head to look out the window. I could tell that Q&A session with Alex Fierro was over.

She actually opened up there, earlier. That was--weird. Hell, everything that’s happened today is weird. Though I’d never actually imagine Alex Fierro giving me a piece of her Hershey’s chocolate bar because never in a million years would I share my chocolate with anybody. Oh, that and--complimenting me and my friends, I guess? Did the things she said counted as compliments?

Thinking back to the bucket list though.. I had it stuffed in my pocket. Her bitterness about Odin, it reminded me of how the writer wrote about it. I _had_ to ask her about that sometime soon.

Sadly, I like to procrastinate so I’ll probably never ask her.

I grow silent, leaning away from her and listening in on Blitzen, Hearthstone and Sam’s conversation.

“-That play, I think it’s going to be cool.” said Sam. So they’re talking about the upcoming play this week? Wait, Alex is going to star in that play, isn’t she? She’s supposed to be practicing her acting and script, right? That _is_ what actors do?

That’s actually weird, why wouldn’t she be practicing for the play right now? It seemed like she was going to accompany us on this whole journey. Was that really worth not practicing for the play?

“Norse mythology?” Blitzen asks himself, “Doesn’t sound very interesting to me.”

 _Runes are cool._ Hearthstone signs, sticking his tongue out at Blitzen.

Runes. Hearth likes runes. I never knew that about him.

I pat down my jacket absentmindedly. _Something_ was nagging me, there was a little voice shouting in the the bowels of my mind.

Wait, I had a rune right now! Geez, I nearly forgot about it.

After digging the perthro rune out of my pocket, I look at it. It hadn’t changed, why did I think it had? The rune is still warm, that fascinated me in a weird way. A stone emitting warmth?

Regardless, I show it to Hearth. His face lights up and he hesitantly holds out his hands. I put it in his palm, smiling. Hearth examines it with a curious and excited expression.

“Magnus--where did you get that?” Sam peers at the stone like it was a bomb.

“Um. My uncle’s collection?” It wasn’t a lie, it wasn’t the complete truth either.

 _You stole it,_ Hearthstone sees right through me, narrowing his eyes and frowning. I hold up my hands in a surrendering position.

“Magnus.” Blitzen sighs. _What!!!_

“Guys, we literally just escaped from a situation where Alex, Sam, Hearth and I vandalized the principal’s office.” I say, “And you’re grilling me for stealing a rune?” Hearthstone and Blitzen look at each other, conversing with their eyes. Then they seemingly drop the subject.

 _But this is real_ , Hearth’s hands are shaking a bit, _Perthro. The empty cup._

Surprised that he knows what it means, I ask him if he’s really that into ancient runes. He nods. Huh, never pegged him for that kind of guy. Well, you learn something new every day.

Then he does something weird. He points to the rune, then to himself.

Was he relating the rune to himself? I scrunched up my eyebrows, trying to jog my mind.

“Maybe you can keep it then, keep it safe for me.” I find myself saying, “It’s okay.” Hearth gasps audibly, eyes wide. Perthro apparently meant a lot to him, maybe he feels the same way I do about the rune’s meaning. But as far as I know, Hearth’s never had things go the way he wants them to. I’d learned about his asshole dad before. Every time the thought of that horrible guy entered my mind, my blood boiled.

Few moments pass, then Hearth takes my hands and shakes them vigorously. He’s wearing the biggest smile on his face.

“You’re welcome, mom.” I tease and smile back, I felt accomplished in a way.

  

* * *

 

I was just starting to nod off to the soft lull of the car when my green-haired seatmate suddenly tells Blitzen to pull over. Alex jumps in her seat, causing me to jump too. What the heck?

“What?” Our driver asks, confused as I am.

“Just stop the fucking car!”

“Hey, if you want to piss, there’s like a McDonald’s ahead--“ I start to say but Alex turns to me, her gaze could’ve murdered a thousand cats in point blank range. Maybe even more cats, but I didn’t want to think about it at all. Poor cats, they did nothing wrong.

Sirens went off in my head as I stared back at her. Her look was almost exactly like Randolph’s, minus the crazy. Chills crawled down my back and neck, my hands started feeling clammy and cold. It felt like I was freezing. It wasn’t just because of the AC either.

“Blitzen, pull over.” I quickly say and this time he complies. Alex immediately gets out of the car.

“We should go after her.” Sam blurts out, then she opens the door on her side and runs after Alex. I’m left with Blitz and Hearth staring at me expectantly.

“What? Guys, come on!” I sigh. Why was _I_ supposed to be a part of this?

Blitz shoos me away, “Sam said, ‘we’. She was obviously referring to you, kid!”

“She was?” I roll my eyes. Blitzen and Hearthstone look at each other then they nod. I swear they have some kind of plan that I don’t know about. I don’t know what their intentions are either.

I considered throwing a tantrum but that wasn’t very mature. These two aren’t giving me any other choices.

Giving in, I grumble and follow the two girls out the car. I thought to myself. Why was I cursed with this? Why? Why did I have to be the only guy in an all-girls situation?

We were stopped in front of Boston Common. I hadn’t even realized. I enter the park and after a while of looking, I spot Sam and Alex sitting near a tree overlooking the whole park. It was hard trying to locate them seeing as they both have green headwear and hair respectively. As I walked towards them, I felt like I was intruding on a moment. I didn’t know what kind of moment but it felt like a moment.

Before I could stop and run away, Sam turns her head and sees me. She motions for me to join them, so I did.

“What’s the haps?” I greet them, “Why the--uh, sudden running away?” I lean against the tree behind them.

“We are spying on an asshole.” Alex mutters loudly, seemingly looking around the park. I had a feeling that she wasn’t talking about Odin. Of course, there were other assholes in the world.

“Any asshole in particular? Like, everyone can be an asshole for you.” I press on cautiously. Alex chuckles but she stays silent. Leaving my question unanswered.

I look down at the park, trying to scan for said asshole but all I saw were people walking along Freedom Trail like tiny ants following each other. Kids were running around, chasing each other. I could hear their joyful screams from here. People were having picnics, passing food around like one big happy family. People having picnics this early? Geez, talk about the early bird getting the worm. Though I don’t know what worm would mean in this context.

“Let’s scout out the ridges.” Alex stands up. _Scout the ridges?_ What are we? Freaking soldiers? I hate it break it to her but we aren’t supposed to be on a recon mission right now. Spying on an asshole wasn’t on the bucket list, but if it was, we’d simply spy on my non-existent dad. Or Odin. Or anyone else that was an asshole by Alex’s standards, I guess.

When I meet Samirah’s eyes, we engage in a mental conversation that went like this:

 

_Me: Are we seriously doing this?_

_Sam: Yes._

_Me: Can we not?_

_Sam: No._

 

It wasn’t a good conversation but sadly, being the only guy here, I was technically powerless. Totally unfair.

In front of us, Alex walks through the trees. Her hair matched with the greenery so much I would’ve mistaken her for being one with the trees. Her shirt didn’t help either, the green sparkles of her shirt blinded me whenever a ray of sunlight would hit it. I make it a point to avoid looking at her unless I want myself to be permanently blind.

Hmm, Alex Fierro, tree whisperer. I imagine what that would be like. I doubt that she’d actually whisper to the trees, knowing her, beating the trees up would be _her_ way of communication.

“What is up with the both of you?” I ask Sam. As secretive as Sam tries to be, sometimes she’s just really transparent. Especially when she does her nervous tic, her hijab-fiddling, which she is doing right now.

Oh, Samirah.

“I--uh--ahem..“ She stammers and trails off, it reminded me of how she talked around Amir except without the lovey-dovey tone. Everybody’s keeping secrets from me, that thought made me sad, “She just told me about her father. I actually don’t know if I should be telling you this but he’s here right now.”

Her father? Here?

“Is she another addition to the bad dad’s club?” I ask Sam.

“You could say that.” She sighs, as if she was tired of bad dads. I was too.

Apparently, we all have a history of crap dads. Hearthstone has an alien asshole for one, Sam has a manipulative one and I have an absentee father.  Add Alex Fierro to the pile then.

Except Blitzen, his dad freaking gave him a car and I’ve met him before. His dad’s pretty cool aside from the weird machines he has in the back room.

When we caught up to Alex, she was crouched beside the tree like a spy, like we were in Mission Impossible or something. Cue the theme--dun dun dun dun DUN DUN DUN DUN--

“See that? That’s him, the fucker.” She points down to the park below, I strained my eyes to see what she was pointing at. That old couple eating hotdogs? No, no. That dude jogging along Freedom Trail? I doubted it. I found it hard to believe that Alex would hate someone for jogging in Boston Common, considering she was friends with Mallory Keen. Hmm, his jogging pants _do_ look tacky though. But that was more of Blitzen’s thing.

But there was someone who caught my eye. A guy that stood out from the rest of the people. His gray suit was a dull addition to the colorful features of the park, he had a suitcase with him. This guy was a businessman of some kind. Was that Alex’s dad? I didn’t expect _him_ to be her dad.

Sam crouches down next to Alex, “And what are we doing with him?”

“Well, he can only be here for one thing.” Alex sniffs, how she handled this reminded me of all the detective shows I’d see on the TV.

“I’m sorry,” I raise my hand, “Why do we care about him right now?”

“We don’t. I just want to give him shit for all the things he does.”

“What if _we_ don’t want to give him shit for all he does?” I ask, motioning to myself and Samirah.

 _Bam!_ Alex mouths, shooting finger guns at me, “Just stand by then. And whatever he does, do _not_ interfere.” Then without another word, she jogs down to her father. Samirah shoots me a look, I sigh. We follow after her.

Alex was already talking to her so-called dad when we caught up to her. It didn’t look so good.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” She hisses, obviously not afraid of the guy looming over her. I could see Alex’s own features in him, her petite size and sharp features. He was taller than Alex by a few inches but I was still taller than him. He shouldn’t have looked intimidating but he did. His stature reminded me too much of Alderman, Hearthstone’s father.

The man who was presumably Mr. Fierro frowns, as if Alex was a bug that he wanted to step on but was too grossed out to do it. I doubt that he’d actually do that here though, in public.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in school?” He spat back, tone venomous. Sam and I could only watch as the scene played out. This was Alex’s fight. She made that crystal clear, but some part of me wanted to step in, defuse the situation and shout _WE MEANT THE JOGGER WITH THE SUCKY PANTS._

Said girl snorts as if the very idea of school offended her, “Does a day-off make sense to you? Aren’t you supposed to be on one of your stupid business trips?”

“Alex.” Mr. Fierro warns. It felt like a thunderstorm was about to break out. I wanted to pull Alex and Samirah away from this guy. “Watch your words.”

“What?” She snaps, her fists clenched, “Or are you here to meet up with some other woman to fuck?” I wanted to gasp dramatically just for kicks but the situation was way too serious for me to do that.

“Alex!” He looks at us, obviously worried at how his reputation would be soiled. Alex doesn’t give a _crap_ about that. I don't really care about it either.

The green-haired girl laughs, “You really don’t give a shit about your family, don’t you? How this affects everything? You know what? Fuck you. Fuck you and your cheating ass.”

After those last words left her mouth, her father suddenly stepped forward, ominously raising his hand. His angular face snarling and livid.

My mind pieced the visual cues together in a panicked fashion. _Alex was about to get slapped._ I open my mouth to warn her but she’s faster.

She steps back, almost stumbling. Mr. Fierro backhands the air as if he was warding away an insect. We all freeze, not saying anything.

His expression turns cold, “I’ll be cutting off your tuition and speaking to the principal.” Then he glances at me and Samirah, “I don’t care what happens to you after. No more money, no more calls. Let’s see you disrespect me after that.” He snarls and pushes past Alex, knocking her off her feet.

We scrambled to the fallen girl. She stays on the grass, knees pulled up to her chest. Then something snaps in me like a rubber band, and I just stop in my tracks, staring at her.

I have never seen Alex Fierro look so--small.

I wanted to go after that guy and--pummel him. Nobody--even Fierro who’s been an asshole to me for two years--deserved something like that. That was flat-out wrong. Sure, she called him out but geez..

“Are you alright?” Sam fusses, kneeling next to her. Judging by Alex’s expression, everything was basically shit. Her father just dropped a disownment bomb on her and practically cut off support.

“Yep,” Alex says, popping the _p_. “Let’s just get back to the car.” In that moment, she sounded so-- _okay,_ like she didn’t just go through what happened. But I didn’t let that distract me, she wasn’t okay at all. But in that moment, I saw why she could be so persuasive. She knew exactly _how_ to talk her way out of a situation and convince someone. Someone being Samirah. Speaking of, I couldn’t believe how easily Sam accepted Alex’s reply. Sam was better than that.

I wanted to yell, _BUT YOU’RE NOT ALRIGHT!_

I watched as she got up and dusted off her trousers. As she walks past me with Sam trailing behind her, she flashes me a look. A look I couldn’t understand.

As we make our way back to the car, I walk next to Alex.

“So,” I mumble, keeping my voice low, “Are we just going to ignore what the heck happened back there?”

“There’s really nothing to talk about.” She shoots the topic down faster than a bat out of hell. But heck no, I’m not gonna let her off that easy.

“You sure?”

“Yep.”

“It doesn’t feel like it.” I kick away a rock.

“You feel that?” Alex stops abruptly for a moment, eyes suddenly wide like she was on alert, “That’s the feeling of having nothing to talk about!”

“So the fact that your dad was going to backhand you is nothing to talk about?” I knew I was pushing her too much with the questions. She’s probably going to do something to me like trip me or tie both my shoelaces together. To my surprise, she doesn’t seem too ruffled.

“I swear, if you knew all of it.” Alex lets out a bitter laugh. She seemed nothing like the Alex I knew these past two years.

 _All of it?_ What the hell did that mean?

I struggle to keep up with her as she starts to walks faster. She looks at me, “You shouldn’t ask about shit you shouldn’t know.”

I wanted to tell her that she let us witness that firsthand. If she didn’t want us to know about it then why didn’t she just make us go away in the first place?

God, this is all so confusing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this story will probably be on hiatus because ive got writers block + one of the main roles in a speech choir which we're performing next week (which is total bs by the way)  
> maybe ill ask for supportive comments just this one time (not to be desperate or something pshhhh)  
> see yall and have a good morning/noon/evening!


	10. Losing my library membership sucks but I have free chocolate!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI! im still alive thank god  
> the suffering isnt over yet. but i managed to write this chapter. not too happy with the way it came out either but i couldnt think of anything else.  
> thank yall for the lovely comments last chapter, this is dedicated to all of you <3 (and thanks to that one guest cookierockz, i couldnt find it in myself to write the other stuff you said but i did do the major spoilers one, even though they only spoiled like two friggin fake books)  
> (oh yes, also the fake books. i think fire walk should sound familiar to those of the LIS fandom)  
> dear god now im rambling  
> hope you somehow enjoy this mess

They didn’t ask about what we did at all. Blitzen just drove off as soon as Alex close the door beside her. We left Boston Common behind us. Hopefully the memories of earlier were also left behind.

Sam, Blitz and Hearth talked about other things. I just silent sat next to Alex.

The atmosphere was iffy. It felt like a bomb about to explode.

Whatever happened back there, we didn’t say a word about it. How would you approach a topic like that? Like _Hey, so your dad basically disowned you. Nice weather we’re having!_

I doubt Alex wanted to talk about the weather anyway. What happened earlier though, it made me wonder about Alex’s home life. If that was what her dad was like then maybe it could explain how she treated me these past years. I read something about--bullying, I guess, a while back. How the kid turned out in the future depended on their family.

Still doesn’t explain why she’s being sort of nice now.

Well, whatever it was. I was slowly seeing Alex’s actual life. Then maybe, just maybe, she’d stop bothering me after all this blows over.

Did I actually want her to stop bothering me though? She seemed like she was in a really bad situation and that made me wanted to _help_ her.

Frick me.

“Here we are.” Blitzen says, stopping in front of the library, “I’ll go find a spot for the car. Go ahead.” Hearthstone stays in his seat though. He waves his newly acquired perthro rune at me while we file out of the car. I wave back at him.

We watch as Blitz drives away. I’m already missing the AC and car seats but I’m grateful to stretch my legs. Alex walks ahead, leading the charge into the library.

Sam walks next to me.

“Earlier sucked.” I say.

“Yeah, he actually--basically disowned Alex, right in front of us.” Samirah looks ahead, “I wonder how she’s holding up.”

“She didn’t want to talk about it.”

“I saw.” Sam looks at me, “That was pretty bad, Magnus.”

I sigh, “Yeah, it was.”

 

* * *

 

We sit at our usual table near the fiction section while Alex sat away from us. I felt déjà vu as I watched her sit at the same table from before. That had been what two, three days ago? Geez, it’s only been that long? When the letters started, everything felt spaced out and distant, as if time itself was changing. Three days seemed like a million years.

I consider sitting at Alex’s table when I’m suddenly hit with a memory in the form of a paper ball.

_im sorry._

It was without a doubt definitely her who wrote that in her trademark green pen. But what was she sorry for? The pranks? Everything? Ever since the letters arrived, things between us have been getting weirder and weirder by the minute.

My train of though is broken when Hearthstone’s elfish face appears in front of me. He’s waving his hands wildly, _Earth to Magnus_.

“Uh sorry.” I mutter. They found a parking space really quick, “Were we talking about something?”

“The third thing. Piss off the librarian.” Blitzen steers his black licorice gaze towards me. “I’m not really in the mood to face an angry Ms. Smith.”

“I don’t think anyone is.” I reply, twiddling my thumbs and looking over to Alex’s table. She’s slumped over the table like she’s sleeping. I doubt she is though.

Sam taps on the table, “I mean. All we have to do is to make some noise right?”

“Yeah, then we’d get banned from visiting the library ever again,” I say, “Ms. Smith will never forget what we’ll do here.”

“Well, great.” The conversation derails from there. I think somehow the same thought occurred to all of us. This may be the last time we would ever visit the library and we needed to make the most of it. All of us stand up at the same time and disperse to get the books we always wanted to read. Honestly, reading has never been so dramatic.

I hang around the fiction section, looking up and down the bookshelves. I pick out a few and return to our table. Alex has moved. She was sitting in my chair so I decide to sit across from her. She was reading a leather-bound book that looked more like a journal than anything else.

“What book is that?” I ask, curious. Alex peers at me from behind the cover with chocolate brown and honey amber eyes. I realized that I was leaning way too far across the table. I clear my throat and force myself to lean against my chair. Welp, this is awkward.

“Erased Reality.” Alex says after a while, “Pretty edgy and unknown title.” I’ve never heard of it but it sounded cool. The title reminded me of _The Doorway_.

“I’ve never seen you read before.” I blurt out, “Not until three days ago.” Oh crap. Even worse, why did I say that? Fucccccck.

“Yeah?” Alex seems cool with it though, her tone seemed relaxed. Too relaxed for someone who almost got slapped by her dad earlier, I didn’t want to bring _that_ subject up anymore though. It felt like Alex was in a good mood somehow.

I couldn’t seem to stop talking, heck I was on a roll. “The note--I mean the paper ball. That was you, right?” Of course it was, “What was it for? Why?”

Alex leans back on her chair, she didn’t look as mad as I thought she’d be. “Maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t.” The chair bends backwards under her weight, I didn’t know it could bend that far back. Alex didn’t seem too heavy to exert that force.

“Maybe I was apologizing..” She mutters under her breath. but I managed to hear it from across the table. Then she clears her throat, “Whatever. Hey, that rune thing with Hearth..”

Wow, what a smooth topic change. I thought only I had that talent.

“What about it?” I decided to roll with it, curious to see where this was going. I hadn’t even realized she was watching that exchange or that she was even _aware_ of it. I thought she’d mock me about it but instead she says:

“That was cool of you.”

I stare at her, tongue-tied and utterly confused. What was the right thing to say in that moment? _Thank you? You’re cool too?_ A poet, I am not. A few more seconds of our silent staring contest later, our moment is ruined as the others come back and sit around us.

Hearth almost stumbles from the amount of books about mythology he has in his arms. Apparently he’s a big-time mythology nerd, huh. You learn something every day, I guess.

Sam only had a handful about aviation and planes. It didn’t seem too interesting to me. I’d probably fall asleep at the first page if I tried to read one book. Planes are cool, but not _that_ cool in my book.

Blitzen carried a lot of fashion magazines with him. Only God knows where Blitz dug those up. They looked ancient.

Once everyone was settled in, we wordlessly started reading.

And so our last reading session here in the library started. Most of the time we did study groups here, but in my spare time I did visit the library and read books. This place was my second home. Sometimes, I went here when Randolph was too creepy to handle.

Here, it felt safe.

For what seemed like hours, I’d already manage to finish four books. _Talk about a fast reader,_ I think to myself. I decide to take a break and look around to see what I’d miss.

Across from me, Alex had fallen asleep. Her face was buried in her arms, a mess of green hair covered the rest of Alex’s head. You know that kind of curly hair that makes you want to run your hand through it? That was Alex’s hair. Or maybe her hair was wavy. Or maybe both. I wasn’t sure, I didn’t have a PhD in hair types.

Uh.

_Cough._

Anyways.

“Uh, guys,” I tap on the table lightly, “I’m all for reading but when are we doing this?” Hearthstone, of course, doesn’t reply but he does look up at me, probably sensing the tap I had done. Blitzen frowns, looking up from his fashion magazine. Samirah shrugs in reply. Alex snores like a rampant lawnmower.

“Okay, so much for team motivation. Come on, guys! We have to do this!” I actually raise my voice slowly as I talk. I hear a _shhhh!_ coming from the front desk, that’s her. The old librarian, Ms. Smith. Oh god.

“Magnus--“ Sam warns me.

“I think getting Alex close to Ms. Smith is the best option, she’s snoring pretty loud and while she’s snoring I think we can escape.” I kept talking. It didn’t sound like a bad plan, at least in my head. Seriously, who would we want to face though? An angry Ms. Smith or an angry Alex Fierro? Probably neither, but with the Alex option, it kept my library membership safe.

“We are _not_ doing that.” Surprisingly, Blitzen speaks up. “That would be in terrible taste, kid.”

“She’s snoring like a jackhammer!”

 _Jackhammer snore?_ Hearth signs, tipping his head. _Loud._ _Not a good plan though._

“Ugh, I swear all of you shut up.” Alex says crossly, raising her head to glare at us. Oh god, did she hear all that? “Honestly, one of you could just fart really fucking loud and _that_  Ms. Smith would make flip her shit.”

Of course, the only time I needed our most helpful assistant principal.

“If only Thor was in school..” I frown, “Do we still have time to find him?”

Everybody mutters/signs a chorus of _no’s_ and _definitely not’s_.

I swore I could hear somebody in the library say, “I’m taking a day-off!”

 A resounding _shhhh!_ comes from the front desk. This time it sounds even angrier. Somehow.

So much for the Thor option then. That guy would’ve checked this thing off the list no problem. Thinking about it, it would actually be the most useful thing he’d do this year. I’m not sure what assistant principals do but from what I’ve seen, nothing.

 I watch as Alex sneaks a bite from her newly opened chocolate bar. Was she eating all this time? Okay, maybe I wanted to learn how to do that. Whenever I get hungry during class, I get _hungry_. Sadly, I don’t think I could sneak in falafel bites in-between discussions.

The overbearing silence of the library consumes us.

None of us knew what to do, honestly. Nobody spoke up

So I took the situation into my own hands.

I stand up, pushing away my chair. A horrible screeching sound fills the air.

“Magnus, what are you doing?” Samirah whispers, looking at me with urgent eyes. Everybody was staring at me except for Alex who was way more focused on her chocolate bar. I don’t blame her.

Somehow, I had a plan. Well, I could hardly call it a plan.

“I want to do something very stupid.” I reply, my tone is surprisingly calm for someone who’s about to do something very stupid. I didn’t even know how I found the nerve to be calm about my plan.

My very stupid and very bad plan.

I take a deep breath and shout at the top of my lungs the first thing that comes to mind.

“LIONEL EINSEL DIES AT THE END OF _THE DOORWAY_!”

A few gasps could be heard throughout the library. That many people read the book?

Silence envelopes the library for a split second and I thought, _Crap, maybe Ms. Smith’s gone deaf?_ Then I scolded myself, _She literally just shushed us earlier. Stupid Magnus._

“NO SPOILERS! GRAAAA-!” An old woman suddenly materializes out of the front desk, scaring the frick out of me. Aaaaaaaand nope.

Everyone else jumps out of their seats once they see Ms. Smith. Blitzen looks like an owl about to take flight, Sam was gripping at her hijab so hard I was afraid that she’d tear it off her head, and Hearthstone had one foot in front of the other as if he was ready to sprint away. Alex, on the other hand, was wielding a chocolate bar.

Wonderful.

 “Whoever gets kicked out of the library last wins!” Alex yells, excitement in her eyes.

“What the heck is the meaning of winning at this point?” I raise an eyebrow at her, trying to keep my eyes on Ms. Smith.

“It means getting a chocolate bar from me!” Alex then takes off, running for her life.

Oh no, she didn’t. She’s using the chocolate bar as a prize. That is _not_ fair. I wanted to pout. But why was she making such a big deal out of winning?

“DARTH VADER IS LUKE’S FATHER!” I shout.

“Star Wars isn’t even a book.” Sam gives me a critical look. Hey, that rhymed!

“Yeah, and that spoiler is so outdated, Magnus.” Blitzen adds, “Oh crud, here she comes!”

I turn just in time to see a seventy year-old woman barreling straight towards me. Magically, there’s a rolled up newspaper in her gnarled, liver-spotted hands. Normally someone wielding a rolled up newspaper wasn’t a big deal for me but something told me that I did _not_ want to get smacked by this lady.

The four of us regard each other, engaging in a quick and silent conversation. Then we all take off in different directions, leaving one another to our own devices. Even Blitz and Hearth split up. Every person for themselves, I guess.

Somewhere in the library, a hoarse voice howls furiously, it echoes throughout the building. “Chocolate bar wrappings?! NO EATING _AND_ NO LITTERING, FIERRO!”

 Ms. Smith was definitely enraged. I was afraid that she might keel over from her high blood pressure. Giving someone a heart attack and killing them wasn’t on my bucket list.

Also, Alex must’ve been eating a _lot_ of chocolate bars. Was she really doing that all this time?

Wait.

I put a halt to my thoughts--that old lady knows Alex. Maybe she went here more often than I realized.

I snap back to reality when Alex cajoles, “THAT’S PAYBACK, SMITH!”, her voice echoing through the building, “AMBER AND CATHERINE FALL IN LOVE _BUT_ AMBER DIES AT THE END OF _FIRE WALK_!”

At the mention of the book, I feel melancholy seep into me, “IT’S SO SAD!” I shout, resisting a sob. God, I loved those two girls. They were my absolute OTP and nothing could ever beat them. Rest in peace, Amber.

Meanwhile, I manage to hide behind a table during my sorrow.

After a few frustrated shouts, Ms. Smith says, “Guards!”

Oh crappity-crud-crap. I definitely did not want to go to juvie. I can’t do that.. Resisting arrest is like--a bad thing right? That’s a big no-no. Crap.

Tables can’t help me in my hiding so I take off again.

I see Alex run behind a bookshelf, her boots not making a single sound which was freaking _dark magic_. I found it hard to believe that none of the guards found her yet, despite her being the brightly-colored person among us.

In my panic, I accidentally run into Samirah who’s hiding behind a shelf.

“Sorry.” I mutter, stumbling back. Sam could really stand her ground.

“Magnus! There are _five_ guards!” The girl hisses, “It didn’t have to be _this_ serious.”

“Face it though, we all want a chocolate bar,” I retort, “No one can say no to chocolate.”

Then she gives me a tired-of-your-shit-Magnus look and tells me, “I can.” The scariest thing about that? She actually sounded serious.

“My--what kind of person are you?!” I whisper, wanting to grill Sam about how she could possible deny chocolate but before I could speak, a guard walks around the corner.

My heart started pounding so hard it was a miracle that the guy didn’t hear it. The feeling of being hunted didn’t settle with me, it made me feel small and weak. Ants crawled up and down my skin when I thought about it.

I guess that’s why I was never fond of hide and seek when I was a kid. Hiding promptly sucks. Seeking was way more fun.

“We better split up.” Sam whispers when the guard’s gone. Then she leaves before I can say anything else.

“Okay.” I mutter to myself and crawl away opposite the direction Sam went in.

Somehow, I don’t notice that I almost dive headfirst into a chair with someone on it. To my surprise, it was Thor himself, in the flesh. The assistant principal lets out a fart.

“Uhm, Magnus. What are you doing?” The redhead tips his head, reminiscent of a dog. In his hands was an issue of a Playboy magazine. Oh, my eyes.

“Trying not to get caught?” I give him an innocent toothy grin, trying my best to ignore the magazine.

Thor sniffs, “So _you_ were the one who shouted earlier?”

“Yeah?” I shuffle my feet, “You aren’t gonna like--turn me in, are you?”

“Nah. Too busy.” He flips to a new page in his magazine.

“Right.” I look around just to check if there are any guards around.

“By the way, have you seen an Alex Fierro lately?” Thor asks me before I could walk away, he has a phone to his ear.

“No...” I lie, “Why?” Didn’t he recognize Alex’s voice earlier? She shouted too.

Thor puts down his phone, scratching his beard. “Odin called. Something about him vandalizing his office.” I feel slightly ticked that Thor said _him_.

“Gee, she really vandalized his office?” Correction, we vandalized his office. It seemed like Alex was going to take all the blame for that.. Some part of me hoped not.

“Yeah. He’s looking for him. Well, whatever.” He shrugs then goes back to reading his magazine. Nice talk.

 

* * *

 

So far, I’ve seen Hearthstone get caught. It’s surprising to see him last this long considering how tall he was but I guess he was a great hider.

I kept moving throughout the library, avoiding guards like the plague. I couldn’t believe how bad they all were at looking for us. You’d expect guards to be more vigilant and observing. Well, who knows? I might have been the only one left.

But nope. A familiar boot suddenly sticks out of a table and trips me, sending me crashing to the floor. Just my luck.

“Ouch.” Is all I manage to say. Thankfully I saved my face from making a mess on the shiny porcelain floor.

Alex Fierro snorts from her hiding spot, “Hah.”

“Yeah, hahaha.” I sarcastically reply, I sit up. “Have you seen the others?”

“I’m pretty sure we’re the only ones left.” She sits straight up.

“So what do we do?”

“How ‘bout we settle this rock-paper-scissors style? Alex suggests, “Loser has to get caught.”

“No way.”

“Yes way.”

“You’re gonna cheat.”

“Swear to whatever you believe in I’m not going to.”

“What if I don’t believe in anything?”

She shrugs, “Well, that’s on you.” Then she holds out a fist, “Come on.”

“Ugh.” It wasn’t like I had any other choice. Alex wasn’t going to turn herself in any time soon.

Rock, paper, scissors, shoot.

“I knew it.” I say, staring at the finger gun aimed straight at me. Of course.

“Gun beats everything!” Alex singsongs, pretending to shoot at me.

I frown, “Gun doesn’t mean shit to me.” Oh geez.

“Damn, Chase.” My opponent raises an eyebrow at me, “You’re getting tougher.” She says, as if she wasn’t expecting me to say that. I didn’t expect me to say that too.

We stare at each other, this was our second staring contest of the day. I was _not_ going to move my ass from this floor.

Alex clears her throat and crawls out from under the table, “Fine.” Then she grins at me, “You don’t say this to anyone.”

“The heck are _you_ doing?”

“Getting caught, of course.” She says.

Alex runs into the open and shouts, “YOU SUCK, SMITH!” Almost immediately, guards close in on her and she tosses me a look like, _You owe me._

Unfortunately, the guards see me too and I’m officially caught too. The both of us are escorted to the front door. We pass by Ms. Smith whose wide droopy arms were crossed. She was scowling at me specifically. I always thought she was a nice old lady who just got pissed off really fast but from this angle, she was a pure villain in my eyes.

“I expected more from you, Chase.”

“Sorry, not a fan of high expectations.” I replied, managing a smile.

 Then we’re shoved out of the library.

“Nice.” Alex says, pulling a chocolate bar out of her denim jacket, “This is my last one so be honored, peasant.”

“I feel honored.” I mock a bow and a smirk appears on Alex’s face and she punches my shoulder.

“Damn right you do. Now, let’s go. We’re going to Blitz’s crib to spend the afternoon.” Her boots click-clack on the steps as she walks down to the Blitz’s car parked just down the road.

“Blitzen’s house?” I blink, following after her. That’s kinda weird, he doesn’t usually let us go there. For a reason I’m not sure of.

She doesn’t reply.

Once she opened the car door, she motions for me to go first, saying, “Ladies first.” With a crooked smirk on her lips.

And I’m left in the middle of two girls. Again.

Samirah regards the chocolate bar in my hand, “Nice job, Magnus.”

“Nice hiding, kid.” Blitz laughs from the driver’s side. He and Hearth are poking each other.

 _You first._ Hearthstone signs, _Bad at hide seek._

“Hey, you can’t blame me. There were like two guards chasing me!” Blitzen holds up his hands.

“I saw. Blitz’s face was ridiculous.” Alex snorts, playing with the window button on the door. I watched as the glass slid down and up. “I bet Maggie here was cheating the fuck out of the game.” Nope, actually, you cheated but I ended up winning anyway.

“Was not!” I stick out my tongue, deciding to go along with her, “You’re just bitter that I won the chocolate.”

“Like I’d be that petty.” She rolls her eyes as if that idea was unthinkable, _Alex Fierro being bitter? Impossible!_

Blitzen clears his throat, getting our attention, “Are you kids done?” He’s looking in the rearview mirror with a smile on his face.

I gave Alex a sideways look, she met me with a challenging gaze, as if she was egging me on. “If Alex would leave me in peace then yes.”

“Sure, kid.” And with that, Blitzen floors it. We all watch as we leave behind the ancient library. This time, Blitz was handling the radio while Hearth leaned back on his seat.

As Taylor Swift started to play in the background, I fiddled with my fingers, thinking.

Should I tell Alex about the call Thor had? I probably should, though I think she’s already aware that Odin’s looking for her.

I bring the subject up. She just looks at me, raising an eyebrow.

“It was nothing really.. Just said that he was looking for you.”

“Eh, I guess it doesn’t really matter anymore if I get kicked out.” Oh.. Yeah. I kind of forgot about earlier.

“But what about the play?”

Her mouth twitches, “I doubt he’d kick me from that. There’s no understudy for my part and plus, I’m pretty sure I’m the only one who can nail Loki’s part.”

“Loki?” Now, I feel slightly curious about her actual part in the play. There were a lot of gods and goddesses in Norse mythology, which one was she?

Alex looks at me, “Loki. Y’know, trickster god and pure asshole?”

“Doesn’t really ring a bell.” To be honest, I knew nothing about Norse mythology except for the runes. Loki seemed like a character who was designed for Alex Fierro though.

“Eh. You’ll see.” She shrugs.

_I’ll see?_

“What do you mean by that?” I press on further, feeling particularly bold. Alex only repeats her words with a meaningful look in her dual-colored eyes. Her gaze was so mesmerizing, it reminded me of how hypnosis was depicted in cartoons. I felt like I was being pulled in.

I look away before I could get sucked into the black hole that was Alex Fierro.

Sleeping seemed like a great idea. But before I did sleep, I make Sam promise to protect me from anything Alex tried to do. She only promised to pray for me which didn’t really comfort me but I figured it was the best I could hope for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> see yall and have a good morning/noon/evening!


	11. That moment when your dream takes up a whole chapter and ends up being filler (COUGH)

My dream started out fine.

The first day of high school. I thought it was going to be great. My mom was all supportive and positive about it, so in turn, I wanted to be positive about it too. In all seriousness though, when has a first day ever been great?

As I open the door to hopefully what was my classroom, I see only a few people. Okay, maybe I was a bit too early but that was good right?

I sat down in the second row, next to the aisle. It was a good seat, I wouldn’t be completely surrounded by people and I would be close to the front row too.

The air conditioners were working overtime that day, it was cold as freaking Antarctica. Thankfully, I had my jacket with me. I always had this thing around ever since my mom gave it to me as a parting gift.

Minutes pass, people start piling into the classroom like crazy. Almost immediately, I identified all the friend groups and types of people. Typical jocks, popular kids, nerds and more. I wondered which one I’d be a part of. Probably none because I avoid socializing like the plague.

Suddenly, someone sits next to me. It was a girl with a green hijab on. I forced myself not to be weirded out and to keep an open mind. My mom told me so. Whoever was beside me was probably a Muslim. Okay. Not all Muslims are terrorists, Magnus. Nothing’s going to blow up. Don’t be that person.

“Hey.” She says, regarding me with dark eyes. Her skin was a few shades darker than mine, maybe the complexion of mahogany wood.

“Sup.” I reply meekly, my voice squeaking. She must have sat next to me for a reason, right? Whatever the reason was, I didn’t want to come off as awkward or offensive.

She shifts in her seat, “First day. Well, I guess it’s everyone’s first day.”

“First days usually suck. I hope this one doesn’t.” I replied, hoping to get a laugh out of her to reassure myself.

The stranger chuckles, “I think they always suck. But since you’re hoping, I’ll start it off with a good note.” She continues, “I’m Samirah al-Abbas. Sam for short. And yes. I’m a Muslim.”

I blink, gazing at Sam in shock. Holy crud, did she want to be friends with me?

“Uh--Magnus Chase. Magnus for short, please. I hate nicknames.” I hold out a hand since it was a proper introduction conduct. Sam looks at my hand reluctantly.

“Oh, no touching for me. Sorry.”

“Oh, uh. No worries, I can live with that.” A normal person would’ve been offended by that remark but I wasn’t. I wondered why that was a thing. Was it a Muslim thing? It wasn’t like I had a deadly virus to spread around. Then again, I didn’t like bodily contact so maybe it was for the best.

Sam’s about to talk when a teacher suddenly opens the door, all serious and holding a lot of papers. The whole class falls silent.

The rest of the day was spent with Sam. I learned a lot of things about her, how she was studying here with a scholarship, how she wanted to be a pilot and more. Of course, she immediately changed everything I thought I knew about Muslims. If my mom was here, she’d definitely approve of Sam, just by hearing the confidence and ambition in her voice.

My expectations were met that day. The day actually went well.

That day was the probably the best introduction I’d ever have to my high school life.

Suddenly my dream shifts again, morphing away from Sam and the classroom and instead to the both of us holding food trays and looking for seats in the cafeteria. I remember this. It was like Enchilada day or something.

Sam and I didn’t know where else to sit. We both managed to come late to the cafeteria so we couldn’t save a seat. Then we just so happened to walk by an almost empty table occupied by two older looking guys.

One had strikingly pale spiky hair and a candy cane scarf. He seemed to be communicating with his hands. I didn’t know much about ASL but I assumed he was using it.

Meanwhile, the other had dark curly hair, his skin was chestnut brown. Though it was covered by the snazzy outfit he was wearing that was way too cool for school. A black tux over a white button-up and an ascot tie. The way he wore it made it seem more casual than formal though, which was admittedly cool.

In that small moment that we met gazes, something seemed to click. The fancy dude calls us over, his voice barely audible in the clamoring of students filling up the cafeteria but I manage to hear it. I stop and look at Sam, she shrugs and walks over to the table.

“Blitzen.” The dude points to himself, presumably that’s his name. It’s a cool name. “And this is Hearthstone. He’s deaf.” I wondered if I needed to say something outright about myself too. _I’m Magnus, that’s short for Kurt Cobain._

It’s funny how he says that Hearthstone is deaf since the blond just waved at us right as Blitzen introduced him. Sorcery maybe?

“He can read lips so you’re fine not signing to him.” Even as he says this, Blitzen is still signing. Out of convenience, I guess.

“Cool. I’m Magnus and this is Samirah.” I say. Sam waves at them, “We can sit here, right?”

Blitzen nods, smiling, “Go ahead.”

That, my friends, was the start of a beautiful friendship and family that consisted of a deaf blond, a fashionable dude, a Muslim and a typical white male. Seems wild, right?

Then my dream shifts into something else. I’m back in the classroom, it seems normal but I could guess what the scene was.

A week after my first day, a strange kid with hair dyed green like grass and a fondness for green and pink comes knocking down on our door. It was during class, probably in the middle of the day.

Ding dong, it’s Alex Fierro!

My first impression of her? Troublemaker. And I was right.

One day during first period, we all got the announcement of a new student. I hoped that they’d be a new friend. It turns out to be the opposite. They didn’t arrive until hours later.

Trouble came in the form of a new student almost bursting into the room. The new kid looked bizarre. Their hair was dyed green but I could see it being dark at the roots. Was hair dye allowed here? They wore a green-and-pink sweater-vest over a white long-sleeved shirt and lime green corduroy pants with a pink cashmere jacket wrapped around the waist. Looking at them was a colored assault on the eyes. The smile they gave the whole class seemed friendly enough. But there was something in their eyes.

Their eyes. I wasn’t quite sure what was happening with their eyes. I would’ve mistaken them for being kaleidoscopic, shifting from color to color. But no, their right eye seemed to be lighter and more vibrant than the other. I could see it even from this distance.

“Hey, teach. Sorry, I just busted in here. I’m pretty sure this is the class in my schedule.” Then for some reason, they look at me, “I hope it is.”

Hear that? That’s the sound of the chills going up my spine.

Our teacher clears our throat, “Yes, you’re the new student, aren’t you?”

“That’s right. Alex Fierro, she or her at the moment.” The whole class erupts into a series of murmurs and whispers, I can hear them asking themselves about the pronouns. “Any of you have a problem with that?” She asks, adjusting the bag slung over her shoulder, like she was ready to throw it at anyone who spoke up.

A lot of _no’s_ wisely replied.

“Great. I think we’ll get along nicely.” She gives us all a another smile. I had a feeling that we would not get along nicely.

We all watched as Alex Fierro sits right at the back, between a redhead and a big dude. Those were Mallory Keen and Halfborn Gunderson, right? I wasn’t sure, I always mixed up names. Whoever they were, Fierro seemed chummy with them already. Maybe they found similarities in their crazy hair.

I wished that Sam was with me, but alas, she was in another class more advanced than mine. The thought made me want to put more effort into school. But honestly if I tried to learn about more advanced subjects, my brain would explode into bits and pieces.

The biggest mistake I’ve ever made in my life was trying to talk with Alex Fierro.

She took the entire school by storm with her eccentricity. Practically everybody knew her, not everybody liked her though. She barely hung out with anyone except the normal three people I saw her with during break. I didn’t know what people saw in Alex that made them like her. But I guess she had mystery to her, that’s what made _me_ curious.

The first time I talked to him was during break time. Unfortunately our lockers were right beside each other. I didn’t even know that Alex used his locker because he showed no signs of caring about learning at all. By this time, he’s built up this reputation at school. Always going to the principal’s office and being called out by teachers. It seemed like the whole world was against him, and he was against the whole world.

I was just getting a book I’d forgotten about, then I’d be going to the cafeteria to meet up with Sam, Hearth and Blitz. It was supposed to be a quick operation.

Suddenly, Alex Fierro walks by, looking all high and mighty. He punches in the code to his locker and opens it. We were right beside each other. I’ve never talked to him yet but he keeps tossing me these looks at class. Whenever I stood up to recite, when I walked by.. It seemed like he _wanted_ to talk to me but he didn’t. I didn’t know what the deal was about that.

I cautiously close my locker. Kind of wanting to speak even one word to him.  So that’s exactly what I did.

“Hey..” I trail off. He visibly stops rummaging through his locker. Alex steps back and pokes his head out to look at me, his eyes are narrowed.

“What?” He says, looking up and down at me. Alex was male today, which I found strange. It wasn’t like he looked _extremely_ male or something, but there was _something_ that made him feel male to me. Genderfluidity was something I’d never really understand.

“I said hey.. Like, as a form of greeting.”

“Well, I’d rather it be as a form of farewell.” He closes his locker. “Bye.” Then he struts off, people make way for him as he forges through the crowd.

“Okay.” I say to myself, “That went extremely well.” I finally grab my book and close the locker. I head off to the cafeteria to tell my crazy story about interacting with Alex Fierro.

Then I’d come to eat my words when I enter the canteen a few minutes later.

I see my friends sitting at the side, waving me over. Hearth has this habit of flailing his arms in the air just to be seen, even if he happened to have the most recognizable hair color next to Alex Fierro in the whole school.

But suddenly, as soon as I took one more step forward. Something slammed into me. It was more like a gentle slam than a pushed-me-to-the-ground slam. I didn’t think much of it but when I looked down and _oh geez._

I never knew whipped cream could be so evil.

My clothes were caked in the stuff. My damn jacket--some were also in my hair. That was gonna be a pain to wash out. A glob of it dripped down from my hair to my shirt as if to add insult to injury.

I looked up to try and see who the culprit was.

Why wasn’t I surprised when I saw it was Alex Fierro?

He was there wearing what I could only describe as a shit-eating grin. There was a devious look in his heterochromic eyes.

“What the _heck_ is your problem?” I gawk, trying my best to wipe off the cream. Part of it splattered onto the floor.

People were staring at us. I could feel it.

“Just for kicks, Maggie.” He says and _winks_ at me, running off to somewhere else.

I had to take a shower at the gym after that. Blitzen let me borrow some extra clothes. Alex was nowhere to be seen for the whole day, he was probably at the principal’s office again. I wouldn’t be surprised. He _always_ ended up at Odin’s office.

It didn’t get any better after that. Alex only hounded me with pranks the following weeks and months, then it eventually turned to two years.

I didn’t tell my mom about it, I didn’t want her knowing that I was getting crap from this kid. It didn’t seem so serious in my mind, Alex was just playing humiliating, harmless pranks, right?

Besides, I only wanted to tell my mom good news, like that time I got perfect on a test or I did great on a project. That sort of stuff. Then she’d call me _pumpkin_ and laugh with me and just be my mom in general.

God.

My Dream Vision™ fades to black.

I wake up back in the car. I was back in the present, with our little makeshift group. We were already stopped in front of Blitzen’s house.

Why were we here again?

“Come on, let’s get going.” Blitz turns off the engine then he looks at us, “Hopefully my dad’s not around.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this is lame and blatant and dirty exposition. these past few chapters have been really disappointing. heh.
> 
> i AM really friggin stressed, i have to take advance exams because honors or whatever. i hate it honestly. next week, i promise. its holy week and ill try to make it up to you guys in the next chapter.
> 
> love ya'll!


	12. So Blitzen's house is apparently a minefield

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much

I’ve only ever been to Blitzen’s house maybe three or four times. Samirah a total of zero and Hearthstone, meanwhile, frequently stayed here. These past few days, I’ve started to notice that Hearth and Blitz were seriously close and seemingly sweet on each other. I had a feeling that if it wasn’t for Hearthstone’s dad being so controlling of his son, then maybe Hearth would end up living with Blitz.

Okay, maybe I have to explain. Hearth’s incredible father has this currency at his house. Hearth had to pay for his basic necessities, including for how long he’d be out of the house. Right now, he was running on the money he saved from doing chores, running errands and any other work he had to do for his dad.

Tldr; it was sick and disgusting.

One time, Hearth had tried to run away but his dad ended up finding him, no matter where he went. I don’t know why Alderman does this but Blitzen once told me that it was because of a debt Hearth had. Whatever debt it was, it seemed unpayable, infinite.

Maybe that’s why Hearth pointed to the perthro rune then to himself earlier. He literally had to pay for everything he needed. He was always left with nothing in the end. An empty cup.

I hope that the rune would give him even an ounce of comfort. Because he had _something_. Us. Hearth wasn’t alone, we’ve been here with him for two years now. I think that counts for something.

“Magnus, come on.” A voice says, something’s tugging at my arm. Suddenly I have a face full of concerned Blitzen, “Hey, kid. You weren’t responding.”

“Uh, sorry. I was thinking.” I mentally refresh myself. We were just standing on the steps to the door. Everyone was staring at me, even Alex.

“Right. Let me just..” Blitz sniffs then turns his back towards us, pulling out his keys from his pocket.

“So. Anyone mind telling me what we’re doing here?” I asked.

 _To rest. Lunch._ Hearthstone, who’s still staring at me, replies.

Lunch sounded pretty good, even if it was a bit early.

Blitzen lived in a single apartment with his dad. From what I remember, there’s barely any room inside because of Blitz’s dad’s stuff. I wasn’t sure about the actual job of his dad but he seriously needed to learn how to not leave his stuff _everywhere_. Seriously, LEARN HOW TO CLEAN. Don’t be like Randolph who’s always going off, leaving all his stuff messy at the mansion.

We stand around as Blitz fiddles with the keys. I observe as everyone does their own thing. Sam seems to be talking to someone on her phone, probably Amir. Alex was eating another chocolate bar, I think it’s her last one since she’s wearing her jacket again. Hearth was examining his very own perthro rune. The guy was really fascinated by it, he’s been messing with it ever since I gave it to him.

I satisfy the urge to look behind me.

The neighborhood was quiet by Boston standards. Only a few cars passed by and no screaming Bostonians appeared. A row of houses adorned the other side of the street. There was nothing really interesting to see. I’ve seen the better parts of Boston.

A particular ray of sunlight blinded me as I looked around. My hair probably looked like it was really yellow. I look up.

Judging by the position of the sun up in the sky, it was probably around 9 or 10 AM? My mom taught me about that stuff long ago, back when we were camping in Blue Hills. We brought no technology with us, even watches. Despite this, my mom almost always knew the time of day. I never really took the time to really study the sky though. But for me, 12 noon was the easiest time to identify because the sun was right in the center of the sky.

Sometimes she’d ask me what time it was, then I’d stare at the sky, clueless as to what I should answer. If I stayed silent long enough, then my mom would say, “Pumpkin..” And the time of day. Looking back on those days, it seemed like she was disappointed in me. The thought was ridiculous since I was only a little kid back then.

A slamming sound followed by Blitzen’s voice gets my attention once more, “Hallelujah! I should really fix this door.” He leans over to look at the hinges, then he jiggles the door knob, “It’s so--dingy and lackluster.”

 _Later, up now._ Hearth grabs Blitz’s shoulder before he starts whipping out power tools to fix the door. Blitzen makes a frustrated noise but subtly puts his hand on Hearth’s. Then he seems to remember that we’re here. Blitzen clears his throat.

“Right. Let’s go.”

The first thing I thought? This place has seen better days. Paint was starting to peel off from the dull, gray walls. One of the lights were flickering, doing its best impression of a strobe-light having a seizure. The railing on the staircase looked worn-out and generally unclean. The last time I was here, it looked more presentable and I wish it stayed that way.

“Erm. Sorry.” Blitzen mumbles, noticing my observations.

“It’s not like you have to take care of the whole place, Blitz. It’s fine.” I say, tugging at my jacket.

“So, how high up do we need to go?” Alex whistles, looking up. There’s nothing but a swirling staircase spiraling upward. It would’ve looked cool if it didn’t make me dizzy.

“Your apartment is seven floors up right?” I ask Blitzen.

“Sadly, yes.” He has this sad look in eyes like, _I feel you. I don’t want to go up seven floors either._

“Ugh,” Alex pretends to retch, “Let’s get this over with.”

We trudge up the stairs at a moderate pace. Alex and I take up the rear, Hearth and Sam in the middle while Blitz leads the way.

Stairs are the worst creations known to man. Gravity sucks too. Why couldn’t stairs be replaced with elevators?

“I am totally not suffering at all.” I huff, the tightness in my chest comes back. My limbs are already screaming at me to stop all motion and to just collapse on the steps. How many floors have we passed? “I’ve never felt so unfit in my entire unhealthy life.”

“I feel like I could run a thousand miles,” Alex imitates a jogger’s run, “Stop skipping leg day, Maggie.” That nickname was starting to get on my nerves.

“I swear if you say that nickname one more time..” I mutter.

“You’ll do what?” Alex challenges, raising an eyebrow at me and smirking. I frown, my mind grasps for a reply.

“N-not.. Nice things..” I stammered, trailing off. I didn’t know what I could say that would be remotely threatening to Alex Fierro. She looked like she could handle anything. She snorts, mirth shining in her two-toned eyes.

“That was a fucking ridiculous reply.” Alex reaches her fist out to punch my shoulder. I had braced myself for it but it was surprisingly gentle, “Try harder, Magpie.”

I wish Alex had punched me harder instead. It would’ve been better than the new nickname.

“I’ll try, ‘Lexi.” I reply, watching Alex’s reaction. I definitely wasn’t about to suddenly start calling her that, I couldn’t imagine Alex as a “Lexi”. It was just weird.

“You are _not_ going to call me that.” Her voice has an edge to it, one that I could easily cut myself on. I’m startled at how fast her demeanor changed.

I nod vigorously like I agreed with her (which I did), “I am not going to call you that.”

She holds her gaze, as if she didn’t quite believe me. Her eyes seemed more vivid and enticing. Before I know it, I’m absentmindedly staring right at her. After a few more steps, she seems appeased with that reply and looks away. I cough awkwardly and look away too, concentrating on the walls.

“How many floors are left?” Sam asks, she doesn’t seem too tired but I could hear it in her voice.

“We’re on like, the fourth floor.” Blitzen looks back at us, “Geez, you guys look like you’re about to drop dead. Well, except Hearthstone.” Yeah, Hearth doesn’t look like he’s carrying any weight at all. His lanky figure says enough.

Hearth offers us his full support, complete with a thumbs up and a small smile.

The three of us groan.

 

* * *

 

After what seemed like hours, we finally reached Blitzen’s apartment. And boy, it has _not_ changed since the last time I was here. Once the door swung open, I wanted to collapse on the floor in horror.

The apartment looked like something straight out of an episode of _Hoarders_. Boxes labeled with messy scrawled handwriting as _BOLTS, NUTS,_ and _NUTS AND BOLTS_ and more were stacked everywhere. And even worse, random crap was everywhere. The whole apartment was flooded with different hardware materials.

“Okay, whatever you do. Watch your step because-“ Blitzen picks up a big screw and throws it onto the junk-covered floor.

 _BLAM!_ A miniature explosion displaces all the junk, making the room even messier. That was definitely new.

It didn’t seem all that dangerous, considering how small the explosion was. But I knew that if my foot came into direct contact with whatever caused it, it’d blow my whole foot off and force me to get a pegleg. Peglegs didn’t quite appeal to me.

“I admit, that was cool, but do you have some sort of fucking minefield? What the hell was that?” Alex looks around warily (excitedly, more like), as if she expected something else to blow up,

“Yeah, stuff definitely did not explode here the last time I visited.” I said. Blitzen shuffles uncomfortably.

“My dad accidentally leaves some stuff lying around.”

“How does someone accidentally leave bombs around their own home?” Asked Alex, “Wait, no. I’ve got a better question. What the hell is your dad doing, what, creating bombs?”

Blitz shrugs in reply, apparently he didn’t know either, “Just watch your step. I can’t have anyone’s appendages being blown off. That wouldn’t be a good first impression.”

Hearthstone makes a face, signing, _Almost._

“Seriously?” Samirah asks, her dark eyebrows knitted.

The blond nods, _One time. Couldn’t see my feet clearly and BAM!_ He flares his hands out, imitating an explosion. I knew it wasn’t the correct sign for _BAM!_ But I guess he wanted to simplify it.

Alex meanwhile looks on, clearly not understanding what he’s signing so I take the liberty of translating for her.

“Oh, that sucks.” She comments.

Blitzen makes his presence known once again by clearing his throat, “Okay, let’s go. Just be careful.”

We had to line up, with me being the last. At least I was following someone else’s path and not my own so I wouldn’t be the firsthand victim of a mini detonation.

Thankfully, no one exploded and we got through the apartment safely. The layout is exactly as I remembered it so I at least knew where we were going. Blitz’s mad scientist father was nowhere to be seen though. To my knowledge, he’d be at the back of the apartment, experimenting and stuff.

Blitzen’s door was decorated with multiple Post-it notes and a whiteboard. On the whiteboard written in the same messy handwriting that was on the boxes was, “Heading out to pick up supplies. Be back by 12. Love you.”

“Well, that answers my question.” Said Blitzen, wiping off the message.

“Why are you so against your dad being here?” Alex asks, “Despite the shit and all, he seems pretty rad.” That was big coming from someone who had _that_ asswipe for a dad.

The dark-skinned teen sighs, “I’ll tell inside. Let’s order pizza first.”

  

* * *

 

Let me tell you, Blitz’s room was immaculately clean like always. The difference of this room and the apartment outside was like day and night. It was almost like we stepped into another dimension.

The first time I was here, I remember being super surprised at how clean it was, but now I’m ready to drop dead.

The floor was devoid of anything, there was just a colorful circular rug that was labeled, “BLITZEN” in the middle of the room. A desk that carried Blitz’s laptop and school supplies sat against the wall. Big oaken drawers were lined alongside the closet. Posters of famous celebrities were pinned on the closet doors. Beside the closet was a whole-body mirror with an intricately-carved wooden frame that was a gift from Blitzen’s dad to him.

Looking at myself in the mirror made me realize how scruffy and unkempt I looked. My ancient black jacket looked frayed at the edges but even then, I still wore it.

I decided not to look into that anymore.

We made ourselves comfortable. I tried to sit on the rug but Alex shoves me off for no reason so I’m forced to stay on the bare floor. Mind you, it was big enough for the both of us. Samirah sat on the desk chair while Blitzen and Hearthstone claimed the bed.

“First of all.” Blitzen brings out his phone, “Pizza.”

“Mmm.” I sighed blissfully. This room paired with pizza was the best thing ever.

Then the moment was ruined as soon as Alex says, “Hawaiian.”

All of us gasp at the atrocity.

“How could you!” Blitz puts his hands on Hearth’s ears which were: a) kind of awkward since Hearthstone was way taller than him and b) pointless because he was deaf anyway.

I couldn’t help but snort, the same went with Samirah.

Suddenly the conversation turns into one big “argument” about pineapples on pizza.

 _What’s happening?_ Hearthstone signs, confused. Apparently he didn’t catch what Alex said. I tried mouthing the word, “Hawaiian” for a few seconds until Alex looks at me like I’m insane.

 _Alex wants Hawaiian pizza_ , I sign, not sure what sign I should use for Alex so I just spell her name out. Hearthstone shakes his head, thoroughly disappointed.

Hearthstone kept looking back and forth among us. His eyebrows furrowed and lips in a frown. Obviously, he couldn’t keep up with what we were saying.

“Pineapple pizza is the epitome of pizza!” Alex argues, cupping her hands around her mouth. But when I looked closer, she was actually trying really hard not to smile.

Blitzen, on the other hand, was triggered as heck.

“It is the epitome of garbage!”

I wondered if he had some traumatic incident with pineapple pizza. Maybe he ordered it one day and his dad accidentally left a bomb in it. Okay, geez, Magnus.

 _STOP!_ Hearthstone butts in, stepping in between Alex and Blitzen. He sharply brings down his right hand, letting it land on his open left palm. The motion was like a knife cutting through the air.

The sign was so clear that even Alex shut up. And that’s what I liked about ASL. Some signs were just so outright and obvious that anyone could understand them.

He points to the floor and signs, _Stupid. Hungry. Order now._

 _Preach it_. I signed back, Sam kicks my leg.

“What did he say?” Alex asks, peering at the towering figure. I’ll admit, I’ve never seen Hearthstone like this. He seemed kinda intimidating.

“We should just order.” Blitzen tosses his hands up in the air, exasperated.

“I was just joking. You better get one with olives though.” Alex says. Olives? Eugh.

Blitzen sighs, “That’s not _too_ bad, I guess.”

  

* * *

 

Blitzen’s dad also arrived with the delivery guy which was actually great since none of us wanted to go outside the room. We had already made ourselves comfortable with Blitzen’s PS4. Hearthstone was killing it at Crash Bandicoot. In addition to being _great_ at pinball, he was great at Crash Bandicoot too.

Bilì was short but stocky. I didn’t question it because I’ve seen him at work and trust me, you wouldn’t be surprised either. He liked doing crafts. _Really_ intense crafts.

He looked almost identical to Blitzen. The same ebony eyes, the same mahogany skin. The only differences were that Bilì had a black and curly beard and arms that were scarred from numerous experiments gone wrong.

The door just suddenly opened while we watched Hearth beat all of Blitzen’s previous scores. The ominous creak made all of us jump. Hearthstone kept playing, as if he had heard nothing at all.

 _Uhhh_.

 _Anyone ordered pizza?_ Bilì signs.

Oh yeah, did I mention that he was mute?

“Hey, dad.” Blitzen waves. His dad waved back, walking into the room and setting the pizzas down on his son’s desk.

 _Hi, Bilì_. I signed politely. Heck yeah, I was first-name-status in this household even if I visited like only three times.

The guy bends down, raising a calloused hand, I high-fived him. A crooked smile appears on his face. The thing I had always liked about Bilì was that you could see the smile in his _eyes_. They always had this sparkle in them.

By that time, Hearthstone had turned around. Excitement lighting up in his eyes. The lanky blond quickly abandons his game to give Bilì a big hug. It seemed kind of weird because of the height difference but it was still a big gesture from Hearth. No sign language was needed, I guess.

 _New friends?_ He stepped away from Hearthstone, regarded Samirah and Alex.

“Oh, I’m Sam and this is Alex.” She speaks up for Alex, who seemed to be observing Bilì really closely. Maybe she had a crap-dad radar.

 _Sam. Heard of you. Nice meeting you two_. Bilì smiles then turns back to Blitzen, _Have to work. Staying?_

“Just for lunch, I guess. I’ll tell you.” Blitzen replies. At that, Bilì nods and leaves the room.

“So, about your dad.” Alex says, already at the desk and opening the pizza boxes. How the heck did she get there so fast?

“He isn’t so bad, just overenthusiastic sometimes.” Blitzen replies, shutting down the conversation. Alex tosses me a quizzical look but I just shrug. I’d learned a long time ago that you don’t mess with a disgruntled Blitzen.

The afternoon went by with games and pizza.

I considered taking a nap on Blitz’s bed because that thing was comfortable as heck.

Unfortunately, Alex had challenged me to a multiplayer battle on Injustice 2. Apparently she was somewhat a DC fan and wanted to kick my ass. I was not a fan of that.

Playing games wasn’t my forte, I had to have Alex do a quick rundown on the controls and I still sucked. Even worse, she explained everything wrong so I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. After sucking at the first few rounds of it, Sam surprisingly takes over my character and _holy crap_. She almost immediately gets the upper hand on Alex.

“I didn’t know you rocked at this stuff.” I said, watching as Sam owns Alex’s character.

“You never asked.” Sam replies, concentrating on the TV screen. So, underneath that perfect student façade, she was a gamer girl. Go figure.

“Unfair. It’s not a damn tag team.” Alex grumbles. As if to emphasize how good she was, she was playing upside down. Her head rested on one of Blitzen’s pillows.

“Ha!” The green-haired girl shouts, jumping upwards as she wins the round, “You suck.” She points at Samirah.

“I might just pummel you with this.” Sam raises her controller threateningly.

“I might just too.” Alex raises hers, glaring.

A short tense moment ensues, then they erupt into laughter. They seemed to be getting along just fine, which surprised me. I’ve never really seen them interact before. I left them to their own devices and wandered off.

Hearthstone and Blitzen were playing dress-up in the walk-in closet. My head spun at the amount of clothing in the closet alone. There were freaking other drawers around the room that contained more clothes. I honestly don’t know where Blitz gets all this stuff.

“Magnus! I just found the _perfect_ outfit for you.” Blitzen’s eyes light up once he sees me. I self-consciously hug myself.

“What’s wrong with my clothes right now?” I ask, “And why do _I_ have to be a test subject?”

“No offence,” He turns around, looking for something, “I know you love that jacket but seriously, that’s the only thing I see you wearing.”

“I am offended.” I frown, “I hope you’re proud.”

“I will be once you wear this.” Blitzen turns around with the fanciest outfit I could ever think of. Well, for me. Hearthstone observes it and nods, like he agreed with it.

In Blitz’s hands were a dark green t-shirt, a striped black and white long-sleeved shirt and normal old jeans. It wouldn’t seem that flashy to other people but I was all about keeping a low profile. Plus, stripes just didn’t look good on me.

“How do you even have this stuff in there?” I stare at the clothes, “Why do I have to wear different jeans?” How was it possible that we had the same size clothes?

“Just wear it. I swear you’ll look good.” The offending clothing is shoved into my hands. Blitzen ushers Hearthstone outside, smiling at me, “When have I ever let you down?”

“Never, really.” I mutter, failing to come up with any kind of lie.

So I wear the clothes.

I open the closet, a frown stuck to my face. Blitzen is over the moon seeing me like this. Hearth flashes me a thumbs up.

“See for yourself.” They both step back, letting me exit the closet. I nervously glance at the girls’ direction. I would _die_ if they saw me like this.

Also, there’s way too many green in the group now.

As I look into the mirror, I had to admit. I did look _somewhat_ good, compared to my previous looks. I looked less like a homeless juvenile teenager and more like a regular white male. I didn’t know which one was better.

While I was busy with mentally criticizing myself, I don’t notice the girls staring at me.

“Holy shit, how is that even possible?” Alex says, wide-eyed and casually eating a slice of pizza, “You look even nerdier!” She howls. It doesn’t help my self-esteem when even _Sam_ cracks a smile. Blitzen looks like he’s about to murder someone. That someone being Alex Fierro. I knew Alex was only jibing though, I suppose it was inevitable. I should have been used to it by now.

“You aren’t any better, looking like a big neon sign that just begs for attention.” I retort. I felt weird trying to insult someone though.

“Ouch.” Alex grins, though she doesn’t look too hurt. “You look pretty nifty in that though. You should stick with it.” Then she turns back to the TV screen as if she didn’t practically compliment me.

I don’t know why but I was compelled to keep the outfit.

“So?” Blitzen holds out my old clothes. Hopefulness shining in his midnight gaze.

I look back at my reflection, then back to Blitz.

“I guess it’s not so bad?” I smile, watching as Blitzen grins at Hearthstone, elbowing the blond’s side.

After my wardrobe change, we all gather to discuss the next thing on the list.

I pull out the paper from my pocket and read aloud, “Fourth, be an f’ing master at pottery.” I decide to spare them from the narration bit.

“What’s the next one?” Sam asks, leaning over to get a glimpse of the paper.

“Getting _another_ tattoo with Halfborn.” I read, “So apparently, the writer already has at least one tattoo.” Huh. I couldn’t help but glance at Alex who raises an eyebrow at me. I look away, feeling warmer than usual.

The fact that our writer is real and honest just boggles my mind. But the idea of _Alex_ being the writer was just utterly ridiculous and kind of scary. Usually, no one likes the loser guys like me. Wow, hello self-depreciation.

“Anyways, how should we deal with it?” Samirah’s voice breaks through my thoughts.

“Can we separate?” I ask, not really knowing who to direct the question to. Alex, maybe. She definitely seemed to know more than she let on.

“I guess? Technically, as long as the fourth item is finished first.” Blitzen looks around, waiting to see if anyone would suggest anything else.

Alex shifts uncomfortably. No one objects.

“That’s settled then.” I fold the paper, “The question know is, who are the groups and which task will they do?”

Sam paired up with Alex, seeing as no one was too keen on being with her. That let me with Hearthstone and Blitzen. I had no problem with that.

“We’ll take the fourth task.” Sam decides.

“We will?” Alex frowns at her. Samirah gives her a _look_ , “Okay.”

“So, that leaves us three with the tattoo thing.” I look at Hearthstone and Blitzen.

“You should get the tattoo, Magnus.” Blitzen says, also signing so Hearth could follow the conversation.

“Why me?”

 _Letters to you._ Hearth reasons out. I couldn’t argue with him.

I sigh, silently accepting my fate. I was slowly becoming a delinquent.

“You think that the old pottery studio would be enough?” Samirah looks at Alex. She only shrugs.

“We’ll drop both of you off then we’ll go find some tattoo shop or something.” Blitzen puts a hand on my shoulder, standing up, “Let’s go.”

  

* * *

 

 _Leaving?_ Bilì asks, appearing out of the kitchen. His lips are curled into a slight frown. He was holding what looked to be like a spatula, or maybe it was a crazy new invention.

“Yeah. Probably coming back just right before dinner.” Blitzen motions for us to move along, “I’ll message you, okay?” He disappears into the kitchen with Bilì.

“I know, dad. No, it’s fine.”

I look back at Hearthstone who’s staring at the direction Blitz went in. He looks down at me.

 _Go._ He puts both of his index fingers up and points forward.

I turn around and look down at the junk-ridden floor. A lump of anxiety stuck in my throat. Last time, I was the last in line but this time around, I was leading the group and I tell you. It wasn’t a pleasant experience.

It only took a few steps for disaster to literally strike.

 _KABOOM!_ The air was forcefully _grabbed_ out of my lungs as the ground below me exploded. The blast was strong enough to knock me off my feet. Debris flew everywhere. I could feel the whole apartment shake from the explosion. Oh geez, I was definitely going to die.

_Why was it always me?_

“Holy-“

“Magnus! Are you okay?” Samirah manages to catch me just in time, hooking her arms under my armpits. That _really_ wasn’t pleasant.

“I-“ I falter, feeling dazed. Ringing echoed through my eardrums. Spots flared in my vision. My chest was tight and I could barely breathe. This wasn’t good at all.

“Magnus!” I hear someone’s voice somewhere in the background. I wasn’t sure who it was. My brain was mush, almost like a slushie.

“I’ll take him.” A voice that sounded suspiciously like Alex Fierro says. A new pair of arms support me under the shoulder, “Couch. Get him to the couch.”

I black out faster than I’d like to admit.


	13. We achieve text buddy status with Alex Fierro

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i AM ALIVE i have reemerged from the depths of ao3 to give yall this chapter  
> hope yall enjoy the read

The first thing I see are eyes that are way too close to me. Two very different-colored eyes. If I wasn’t so groggy I would have startled myself to death.

“Yep, he’s definitely awake.” I could catch the slightest tone of relief in whoever’s voice that was. The face pulls back, it’s Alex Fierro, smirking. I feel my cheeks flush as I realize that her face was just _this_ close.

“God, what the hell happened?” I try to sit up but the floor is freaking moving. My head feels like it’s going to split open.

“Ah, sorry. Nice to see you back, kid.” Blitzen?

“I think we should pull over for a second, Blitz.”

And the car stops moving.

We file out of the vehicle. Alex pulls me out by the hand. Not exactly the best way to treat someone that’s just been blown up.

_Wait._

_Rewind on that last last sentence._

Frick.

“I’m still a hundred percent fine, right?!” I say, hysteria leaking in my voice. I patted myself down from head to toe in a panicked fashion.

A heavy silence ensues.

“That depends on how you define ‘fine’,” Alex frowns, crossing her arms. “You blew your whole foot off.”

That takes a second to process.

“ _WHAT?!”_ I almost scream, on the verge of hyperventilating.

Okay, nope. Magnus, calm the hell down.

\--Oh god, I can’t feel my right foot. Was it even there?

“Is what she--“ I take a deep breath, “is what she saying real right now?” I turn to my three friends who’d _probably_ never let me down.

Alex grins at me, “Nah, I’m just fuckin’ with you.” That shit-eating grin. “He/him by the way. I guess I can’t really grill you for being wrong since you spent the last, I don’t know, few hours unconscious?”

Samirah shakes her head, clearly disapproving of Alex’s actions, “How are you feeling, Magnus?”

“Sunshine and rainbows.” I glare at Alex whose outfit has magically changed, “Also, did you say _few_ _hours_?”

“Yup.” He says, popping the ‘p’. When I look at him now, he clearly looks like someone who’s been a guy all their life. His outfit wasn’t all that telling. He wore a pastel pink dress shirt that was a size too big for him and the same green-striped trousers. Wrapped around his neck was a loose green tie.

My head was still messing with me and Alex’s clothing choice did not help.

“We stayed at the house for hours.” Blitzen speaks up, “We didn’t really know what to do.”

 _Someone said no hospital._ Hearthstone pointedly stares down at Blitz, but Blitz doesn’t notice him.

“We just decided to head off the pottery studio. And we’re uhm.” Blitzen looks around, “We’re stopped in front of the library, how nice.”

I look up. Sure enough, the building’s there. Looming over me. As I observe the building, I notice that the sun was definitely way past the center of the sky. “What time is it?” I asked.

Samirah looks at her watch, “Near four.”

“That long?” I groan, “God.”

“I think you’re in pretty good shape.” Alex says, then she looks at Blitzen, “I think we should get going. I don’t want you guys to meet the nightly bunch at the tattoo shop.”

“Thanks for the concern.” I frown. The thought of being in the car again made me nauseous. Blitzen’s Tropical Air Freshener™ was something I did not appreciate too much.

Blitzen looks up and down at me, noticing my expressions, “I think we’ll stay here with Magnus..” He turns to Sam and Alex, “You two can walk to the studio, right?”

The two look at each other, engaging in some mental conversation. It was really weird to see them have this close bond, like they’ve known each other for a long time. It seemed suspicious to me at first but then I realized that even if Sam was friends with me, she could blend in with anyone. A social butterfly.

Finally, Samirah nods, “We can. Alex will just send you the address.”

“You guys better not get lost.” Alex arches a dark eyebrow, looking directly at me as if she expected _me_ to get lost in the winding city of Boston, “What’s your number, Blitz?”

After exchanging numbers, Sam and Alex went off to the old pottery studio while Blitz, Hearth and I sat on the steps to the library. We watched the traffic roll by.

“You took a pretty bad blast, kid.” Blitzen wrings his hands nervously. “You’re lucky to get out of that without a single scratch.”

I probably have a minor concussion but hey, at least I didn’t die! Always gotta look on the bright side right?

“I guess.” I sniff, “What happened while I was out?”

 _Chaos._ Hearthstone’s hands hover each other before spreading out to one side like something exploded. The sign was pretty relevant to what it was supposed to mean.

“It wasn’t as bad as you’d think.” Blitzen quickly says, “We just got a bit worried is all.” Hearthstone raises an eyebrow at his words but he doesn’t sign anything else.

“Right,” I stare at the two, “So, which tattoo shop did you guys agree on?”

“Well, Alex said he knew a tattoo _parlor_ so we decided on that.” That makes sense, Alex himself had a tattoo so it’d make sense that he knew a tattoo parlor. No surprise in that.

I sigh, at least the pain in my head’s dulled. I steer my gaze to Blitzen, “Do you have the address for the tattoo parlor or whatever?”

Blitz looks at his phone, “Not yet.” He observes me, “Are you okay to go?”

“Yeah, I think I can walk a few steps without falling flat on my face.” I stand up, testing the waters of my balance. I didn’t feel like plummeting into the pavement below so I strode over to the car.

“Great! I’ll just message Alex then..”

 

* * *

 

_The Devil: Take the first right, then left and left_

_Blitzen: Couldn’t you just say the names of the streets please?_

_The Devil: Well that wouldnt be fun would it?_

_Blitzen: It would be easier, and I’m not keen on getting lost around here._

_The Devil: Hahahaha, keen_

_The Devil: That womans getting on my nerves with her crappy jokes I swear ever since someones taught her how to be funny_

_The Devil: Its just so sad to see_

_Blitzen: Hello, excuse me? Three guys here that might get lost?_

_The Devil: Right. sorry not sorry._

_The Devil: The tattoo parlor should have a fuck ton of neon lights_

_The Devil: The names get inked_

 

“Are you sure we’re in the right place?” I say, poking my head between the two front seats. The scene in front of us didn’t scream welcoming, with all the trash and neon lights and stuff, but the sign saying _GET INKED_ was telling.

“It _looks_ like a tattoo parlor?” Blitz says uncertainly then he stares down at his phone, gazing over his delightful conversation with Alex Fierro.

“This looks like it..” I say, leaning down to get a better view of the building.

“There aren’t a lot of people inside.” Blitzen says, making an insightful observation.

“People usually get tattoos at night, right?” I wasn’t so sure about that, my movie knowledge is crap.

Blitz shrugs then turns back to his phone.

 

_Blitzen: I think we’re here._

_The Devil: What are you waiting for?_

_Blitzen: Are you two done with the fourth task?_

_The Devil: Oh hell yeah, sam sucks ass at it_

A picture pops up on the screen. It showed Sam sitting in front of.. I wasn’t even sure about what that was. It looked like some new form of abstract pottery art that she invented. That or a large turd. Me being the optimist I am, went with the former.

Of course, I couldn’t criticize her. I don’t think I’d be able to make a pot from clay. I’d rather stick to Play-Doh. At least I could still make something from that.

“Ouch.” I say, feeling sorry for Samirah’s sake.

 

_Blitzen: Well, she gave it her best shot!_

_The Devil: HAH_

_Blitzen: What about yours?_

_The Devil: Its obvious that I was mean to do pottery_

Another picture shows onscreen, this time it was Alex’s smug face. He was lying sideways on the floor and smirking, pointing at a really detailed vase in front of him that would’ve made any experience ceramic artists’ jaws drop.

 

_The Devil: This is Sam. He literally just did that in front of me._

_The Devil: It’s kinda terrifying to see someone this good at pottery in their first try._

_The Devil: You guys are good to go. My best wishes to Magnus. (insert a thumbs up emoji)_

We all stare at the picture.

“Wow.” I say, strangely trying really hard to keep my gaze on the _vase_ and not the.. artist. “Welp. Let’s go then.” I lean back, my skin buzzing with a weird tingling sensation. Excitement maybe? Or maybe it was the anxiety of getting a tattoo chewing on my nerves.

“Let’s go.” Blitzen nods, agreeing with me, “Let’s get this over with.”

We made our way out of the car. I tugged at my shirt which was surprisingly void of damage from the explosion hours earlier.

The parlor was wedged in an alleyway that was deep in the city. But even in the dark and dank alley, the building was a cheery sight with all the signs and lights. One of the neon lights were blinking every few seconds, yeah that needed to get fixed.

I pushed the glass door open, a bell rings.

Inside was surprisingly homey, unlike the parlors I’ve seen in the movies (The movies really get a lot things wrong what the heck). It didn’t have “dark” or emo atmosphere to it, more like the opposite. Outdated Christmas lights lined the ceiling. Patched-up sofas were pushed to one side of the room. Bright posters adorned the walls. Reclining chairs stood at opposite the sofas.

“Is this even a tattoo parlor?” I whispered to Blitzen. He looks at me with the expression of someone who’s never been in a tattoo parlor.

“Uh, hello?” Blitzen asks. Weird instrumental pop music echoed from the speakers hanging from the corners of the room.

A figure pops up from behind the desk at the end of the room, “YES?!” They shout, making me take a step backward.

“Uh, we were-“ Blitzen shuffles closer to Hearthstone. Hey, what about me?

“WHAT’S THAT?” The person yells over Blitzen’s voice, then they walk out from behind their desk and pace towards us. As they came closer, their rich dark brown skin was lighted by the surrounded christmas lights, a beanie covered their short, coiled, jet-black hair. His outfit didn’t exactly say tattoo artist, with the waistcoat and denim pants. Upon further inspection, they were wearing earphones.

Blitzen’s clearly confused, not knowing what to say.

I promptly pointed to my own ears, staring meaningfully at the guy.

“Oh! Sorry.” He takes off his earphones, “You guys here to get tats?” In his voice, I could hear a slight American accent.

Suddenly a _ping!_ Sounds from Blitzen’s pockets, he fumbles to take it out and we all lean closer to read the message.

 

_The Devil: I think that should be Felix whos there_

_The Devil: Im surprised he can still hear_

_The Devil: Tell him about me_

My social anxiety has convenient timing.

“Uh, tattoos! Y’know, um, like straight up, ah, straight up our alley.” I fumble over my words, failing horribly at trying to sound hip with the ‘lingo’ , “You, uh, you know someone called Alex Fierro?”

Alex’s name captures Felix’s attention, his lips crack into a wide grin, brushing off my earlier pathetic attempts at communication, “Only one. Why?”

“Well, she, uh, sent us..” I toss a glance at my two silent companions, “Well, me, to get a tattoo.”

“You, huh?” Felix leans closer, seemingly inspecting me. I felt uncomfortable at the sudden attention and the fact that this stranger was getting _too much_ of my personal space.

He clicks his tongue, “Well, if Alex sent you, I guess we have to do it.” His tone seemed dejected, like I wasn’t worthy of getting a tattoo, “I’ll call our artist. Decide on your design.” Felix spins around and marches off into the back.

I turn towards Hearthstone and Blitzen.

“So.”

“So?”

_So._

“What should my tattoo be?” I knit my eyebrows in thought, “I really don’t want it to be cheesy like some quote. This thing is going to be on my skin for like, forever.”

Blitzen opens then closes his mouth, tapping his fingers on his phone.

Hearthstone’s ash gray eyes suddenly light up with an unusual excitement. Then he puts up one hand, he was either signing incoherent or flailing his hand around.

“Woah, woah, calm down!” Blitzen tells the blond, putting a hand on his arm. Hearthstone’s eyes flutter shut, then he takes a deep breath.

 _P-E-R-T-H-R-O,_ He signs, bringing out the aforementioned rune. The brilliance of the idea strikes me like lightning. Of course, what else would make a better tattoo other than the perthro rune?

“That?” I point to Hearthstone, “Is a freaking great idea.”

Blitzen’s phone chimes again, catching our attention.

 

_The Devil: So what tattoo is maggie getting_

_Blitzen: Just a rune._

_The Devil: Right_

_The Devil: Well just text us if youre done. well be hanging around here somewhere_

_Blitzen: Alright, be safe you two._

_Alex: Pfft safety is my middle name_

We watch as Blitzen cracks a small smile and changes Alex’s contact name. Then he clears his throat, “Right. They’ll be alright.” Blitz slips his phone back into his pocket, “Are _you_ gonna be okay with this, Magnus?”

“Well, I’m okay right now but later? Probably not.” I shrug and at that time, Felix comes back with someone else in tow. A buff guy with a ton of tattoos, someone you’d expect to see at a tattoo parlor. He looked really manly and rough, the kind of dude who’d be a part of a biker gang. Except his tattoos were rainbows and really, really manly-looking unicorns.

“Just sit over there.” Felix gestures to one of the reclining chairs at the side of the room, “Tell the guy what your design is and where you want it. Preferably on an appropriate part part of your body, okay?” A smirk pulls at the receptionist’s lips and I barely restraint a disgusted look.

Making myself comfortable in the chair wasn’t hard when the cushions were soft enough to sink into. Oh yeah, that feels pretty damn nice. The buff guy pulls up a seat next to me, the machine he has in his hand looks like a paint gun on steroids.

“Design?” His surprisingly smooth voice asks.

“Uh.” I wonder how I could possibly describe the perthro rune to him. Thankfully Hearthstone comes to my rescue, striding over to us with the stone in his palm.

The tattoo artist holds it up under a light, closely inspecting it, “I suppose that’s doable. Where do you want it?”

He asks a couple more questions until he finally starts working on the tattoo. I decided to have it on my wrist despite the warning he gives me about that spot being really sensitive. Well, this would be the only tattoo I’ll get so I didn’t really mind at all anymore.

I’d come to regret that thought when I feel the sensation of a thousand needles pricking into my skin. That was when I realized that this was worse than the explosion I had experienced hours ago.

 

* * *

 

“Don’t move your wrist too much.” Butch, who I quickly realized was not part of a biker gang but actually a big softie, says, patting my shoulder.

“Yep.” I wince, “Thanks.” The tattoo artist gives me a toothy grin and stands up. For a buff guy like him, he was pretty nice and somehow kept me smiling throughout the whole thing.

Blitzen and Hearthstone who flock around me like concerned parents as soon as I stand up. “Are you okay?” Blitz asks, his jet black eyes laced with concern.

“I feel like someone just stabbed my wrist with a needle like a million times.” I frown, “In other words, I’m not. But I think I’ll live through it.”

“You better.” Blitzen raises an eyebrow at me. He holds up my wrist, to let Hearthstone snatch a look, “It looks pretty cool though.” He comments. Hearth nods in agreement.

We linger around for a few more minutes, admiring my new badass tattoo.

 _Pay. Then go._ Hearth finally tells us, deciding that we couldn’t stay around for any longer. That sounded like a good idea, it was getting pretty late.

I approached the front desk to pay and thank Butch for the tattoo. Felix actually _winks_ at me when I turn to thank him, “No problem.” The receptionist grins, observing my confused expression. After saying our thank you’s and goodbye’s to Felix and Butch, we leave the parlor and immediately jump into the car and speed off.

Blitzen tosses the phone to Hearthstone and tells him to contact Alex and Sam. I lean forward to watch his conversation.

 

_Blitzen: we’re done!!_

_Blitzen: magnus’s tattoo is really fucking cool_

_Alex: Is this hearth?? damn youre more fun to talk to_

_Blitzen: where are you guys_

_Alex: At the thinking cup on tremont you guys took a hell of a long time_

_Blitzen: oow_

_Alex: What the hell does that mean_

_Blitzen: on our way duh_

_Alex: Wow okay_

Hearthstone pulls his face away from the phone to look at us, _Coffee?_

Blitzen shakes his head while I nod. Hearth hands me the phone.

 

_Blitzen: hi hello id like to order_

_Alex: So im suddenly a fucking waiter_

_Blitzen: for now i guess so_

_Alex: You will regret this maggie_

_Blitzen: how do you even know that its me_

_Blitzen: wtf_

_Alex: All of you have really different typing types which is pretty damn weird_

_Blitzen: wow youre smarter than i thought you were_

_Alex: Wow youre as dumb as I thought you are_

_Blitzen: im hurt_

_Alex: As much as I would love to make a dad joke_

_Alex: Wait I CAN make a dad joke_

_Alex: Hi hurt im dad_

_Alex: Wow I feel accomplished._

_Alex: What the hell would you like to order_

_Blitzen: i think youre on your way to becoming a GREAT barista_

_Blitzen: i can just imagine_

_Alex: Shut_

_Alex: The hell up_

_Alex: Do you want a coffee or not_

_Blitzen: a coffee as dark and black as my soul_

_Alex: Are you serious_

_Alex: I CANNOT FUCKING BREATHE_

_Alex: SAM IS_

_Alex: HOLY FUCKING SHIT HAHAHA_

_Blitzen: alex??_

_Blitzen: are you still alive_

_Blitzen: welp_

I frown when Alex doesn’t reply anymore. I guess that conversation’s over.

“What the heck did you do?” Blitzen says when I pass the phone back to him.

“I think Alex just died from laughter.” I shrug, “Well, they’re at The Thinking Cup so let’s pick them up.”

“Let’s pick them up.” Blitzen agrees.

Every time we passed by a streetlight, I eyed my tattoo as if it might suddenly disappear. Thankfully it stayed where it was, on my aching and slightly swelling skin. Getting it sucked but the perthro rune looks really freaking cool.

But the fact that I got a tattoo just for a couple of letters and a secret admirer made me wonder how far I’d go for this stuff. (Internal feelings are conflicting oh god)

I am _deep_ in the shit and that is undeniable. Ever since the week started and that paper ball from Alex, things have gone upside down and I just got bombarded with this freaking romantic trope. Then I brought my friends into it, then Alex Fierro joined the party.

Don’t even get me started with Fierro, he’s just been this wild hurricane that’s got an agenda against me these past few years and suddenly we’re all buddy-buddy when this bucket list started.

And I’m left in a state of  pure _what the fuck._

I’m snapped out of my thoughts when I feel a light tap on my outstretched hand. It’s Hearthstone.

 _You okay?_ He asks, concern lining his usually laidback features.

 _Fine. Thanks._ I try my best to sign with right hand. Curse me for putting the tattoo on my left.

 _Brave._ Hearthstone signs, opting for a fist bump. I happily comply, even if the gesture was completely unexpected.

 _How are you?_ I ask him, realizing that I never really checked in on the others yet.

 _Good. All this is crazy._ Hearth sighs, steering his gaze away from mine to make sure that Blitzen isn’t watching our conversation, _Not sure if savings are going to last._

My stomach drops.

 _You think?_ I ask him, dread forming in the pit of my stomach.

 His savings. Obviously they weren’t going to last this long but I wished that he’d be around for this whole journey. But thanks to his asshole dad, he had to freaking pay per hour he was away from his house. The thought of it is ridiculous.

I didn’t want to leave Hearthstone with that creep.

_Not much money anymore. Would probably need to go back tonight._

_Did you tell Blitzen?_ Hearthstone pauses at my question, hesitant eyes casting downward. That’s a resounding no.

I don’t know what else to say to him. I’ve never really got into a situation where Hearth’s savings weren’t enough to let him stay with us. He actually always left early now that I thought about it.

Hearthstone pulls away from me, flashing me one more loaded look, _I’ll tell him._ Then he leans into his car seat, almost disappearing in the cushion. As if becoming one with the cushions could solve his problems.

Another streetlight passes us by.

I wished it was that easy.

  

* * *

 

“Holy crap, you put it on your fucking wrist?!” Alex stands up immediately when he sees my wrist as Hearthstone, Blitzen and I walk into The Thinking Cup. An bitter aroma assaults my senses, the familiar smell of fresh coffee.

“Uh, yeah?” I say awkwardly as he stomps towards me and inspects my wrist. Alex was standing way too close but instead of recoiling like I’d usually do, I only feel the pumping in my chest quicken just a _bit_.

I was _very_ aware of how gentle his touch was and that his hands were still splattered with clay. The fascinated look on his face as he examined my tattoo..

Wait. Why the hell did I care so much about these little details?

Blitzen clears his throat, making Alex retreat a few steps back, “Are you guys ready to go?” I promptly move my left arm back to my side.

“My coffee?” I ask, looking to Sam who was still sitting at her booth, a coffee cup in her hands.

“Oh, we didn’t think that you were serious so we didn’t order.” Alex’s expression goes from confused to nonchalant. He shrugs, striding back to Samirah.

“Oh.” I frowned, saddened at the fact. Well that sucks, I just went through a painful tattoo session and I didn’t even get coffee? Forget about my sleeping schedule, I just wanted my damn caffeine and I wasn’t getting it. Friggin--

“I have falafel though.” Sam pipes up, snapping me out of my coffee-induced, or lack thereof, haze.

“You said--“ I stand straight up, making sure I heard her right, “Falafel?”

Samirah smiles, “Yeah. Just for you.”

Bless you, Sam.

After receiving my hard-earned falafel, we went back to the car and drove back to Blitzen’s apartment.

Despite my falafel-eating craze, I tried to toss Hearthstone a few meaningful looks, trying to ask him about what he’ll be doing about his financial problem. As I try to communicate with Hearth by sight alone, I quickly realize that we’re not making much sense to each other but the last message he sent me was clear, he was going to tell Blitzen later.

I leaned back into my seat, trying not to make a mess of eating. For the second time today, I resent myself for tattooing my left wrist. _Agh._

“How were you two doing earlier?” I asked Sam, quite bored of the silence that’s enveloped the car.

“Just fine, though I had to keep a certain _someone_ on a leash.” Samirah flashes a pointed look at Alex whose gaze was focused on the dynamic scenery through the car window.

“Really?” I can’t help but smile.

“I couldn’t walk two steps without him disappearing off to who knows where.” Sam grimaces, reliving her terrible memories of babysitting Alex Fierro. She seems to grip her takeaway coffee cup.

“Poor you, having to do all this work.” I say sympathetically.

“Poor me.” Sam agrees then her stare moves to my left wrist, “How was getting that like?”

“Painful..” I trail off, pausing, “But somehow worth it. I can’t believe that my life’s come to this.”

Samirah cracks a smile, taking a sip of her coffee, “Who’d imagine? Magnus Chase getting a tattoo. He’s finally becoming a man.”

“Come on, you can’t compare me to Amir.” I whine, “That guy’s super buff and hot and your boyfriend. That’s unfair.”

“Hot huh?” Sam raises an eyebrow, her smile growing even wider.

“Hot by guy standards?” I raise my hands in surrender, not wanting this conversation to get out of hand.

“Sure?” Her tone’s confused yet amused. Yeah, I wasn’t so sure where this conversation went either.

I decide to turn away to avoid embarrassment.

Blitzen drove back relatively fast, maybe he was aching to get home too. I had to admit, even if I was feeling a bit energetic, all the stuff that we did today was catching up to me. I did what today? Office vandalism, pissing off the librarian, exploding and getting a tattoo? Yeah, that’s bound to make a guy tired, especially that second to the last part.

Thanks to Blitz’s near illegal speeding, we’re back at the apartment in no time.

“We’re here. Go on out.” Blitzen says, killing the engine as he parks in front of the apartment.

“Yippee.” Alex says and immediately gets out of the car, Sam and I follow suit. I stretch out my limbs, feeling like a lazy cat stretching under the sun. Except I was a tired Magnus aching under the moon.

Unsurprisingly enough, Blitzen and Hearthstone take a while to get out. By Blitz’s frowning expression, I just knew that Hearth told him about the money situation. But they don’t say anything.

“Right, uh. Let’s go up?” Blitzen wears a forced smile.

“There’s nowhere else to go.” Alex shrugs, the corner of his lips twitching slightly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (((((oh god my wayhaven side is showing... felix is a character from the wayhaven chronicles written by seraphinitegames.tumblr.com))))
> 
> whew, we're practically 5/6 done with the bucket list!! next chapter will include a bonding moment and slight fluff i guess? iDK but im excited to write it and finally indulge in fluff


	14. Close encounters with the Fierro Kind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hola  
> thank you for all your lovely comments. sorry im too packed to reply to all of them but the school year is coming to a close and ill def have time!!

Being in the safety of Blitzen’s room is nice. No explosions, no angry shouting librarians..

It’s a wonderful thing.

Blitzen was kind enough to lend us some pajamas then we kicked back and watched movies for the remainder of the night. We ate leftover pizza and generally just felt good.

Of course, the heavy atmosphere between Blitz and Hearth stayed but Alex and Sam didn’t seem to notice it. But I did, in every frown Blitzen made and every time Hearthstone avoided looking at him. Who knows what they were thinking but the message was clear: It wasn’t all smooth sailing between those two. It’s actually the first time I see them sort of upset with each other?

It felt awkward to be the only one to notice this.

“So what about the last thing in the list?” I ask from my place on the bed. I pull the folded paper out of my pocket and look to the lower part of the page.

“What _is_ the last thing?” Sam asks, staring intently at me.

“Sixth..” I trail off, reading the next few words, “Drink until I’m wasted.”

“Yeesh.” Blitzen arches an eyebrow at the next objective, “Do we have to do that? Because I don’t want anyone drinking on my watch. Drinking’s pretty bad in general.”

“I’m pretty sure we still have to do it.” Alex throws back his head against the headboard, stretching his legs, “And it really only applies to Maggie over there.”

“Wow, thanks.” I roll my eyes. What a great way to throw me under the bus of alcohol-drinking.

“Well, no one’s drinking. I think we should draw the line at that.” Blitzen says, a commanding tone of finality in his voice. Alex doesn’t say anything more but I can tell that he’s just wanting to object.

So instead of talking, Alex decides to glare directly at Blitzen and surprisingly enough, Blitz glares back with an air of parental discipline around him. Alex just shakes his head, and turns back to the TV.

Sleep eventually came over the group, starting with Hearth who's been nodding off ever since the start of our fourth movie. We decided to set up the room for a sleepover. In a matter of minutes, a room for one became a room for five. Because we’re resourceful that way. Blitzen had some spare sleeping bags and a sofa bed for us to sleep on. Being the gentlemen we are, Alex and I let Sam have the sofa bed while the both of us took the sleeping bags.

Can I just say? The sleeping bag I got smelled absolutely rank, like a sweaty and foul-smelling Bigfoot slept in it for a few days and it was never washed since then. Heck, even Blitzen’s unlimited supply for air fresheners couldn’t get through the smell. I had to stick the things right on the bag for it to take the littlest effects.

Faint murmurs from the television filled the air as we all settled down.

“This day was freaking crazy.” I say into the quiet room, staring at the darkened ceiling. As bad as my sleeping bag smelled, I snuggled into it, relaxing my tense muscles.

“You could say that again.” Samirah sits up from her sofa bed, her dark hair tumbled down her shoulders like a waterfall. She lets out a soft chuckle, “Really crazy.”

A bout of rustling bed sheets ensue as Hearthstone peeks out from above the bed he shared with Blitzen. He looks down at me with gray eyes that reflect my own in the dim light.

 _Leaving later. Sleep. Okay?_ His hands twitch as he finishes signing, like he wants to tell me something else but he holds back.

 _Okay.._ I sign back, not knowing what else to tell him. Hearth disappears from the ledge of the bed.

I sigh to myself.

“Night, everybody..” Blitzen says, though he doesn’t turn off the lamp light, leaving a blanket of soft amber light across the room. It wasn’t

“Night.” I mumble, closing my eyes.

  

* * *

 

I hate human bodily functions. With that being said, especially my bladder.

The delightful body organ decided to wake me up from my beauty sleep, interrupting this great dream of me hiking with my mom back in Blue Hills. Ugh.

With nature on the brain and my mom’s voice ringing in my ears, I blearily stood up and staggered out of the room. Thankfully the bathroom was just down the hall which I’m sure didn’t have bombs. But I ran across the hall, my feet barely meeting the ground. Just to be safe.

And of course, when I went back to the room, I couldn’t go back to sleep. It wasn’t because of the sleeping bag of the fact that the lamp was perpetually on. I just couldn’t. Now that I was awake, my mind was bombarded with thoughts. It felt like I couldn’t stop thinking back on today’s events. So naturally, I wasn’t able to sleep. No amount of thinking about wide green fields or sheep-counting could help me. Darn.

Another reason was Alex Fierro, whose sleeping bag was just a few feet away from mine. I could hear him. He kept shifting in his bag, causing an irritating shuffling noise.

But..

But he almost seemed to be mumbling some things. Most incoherent but I caught a few like, “Go away.” and “No, no, no..” I could only describe them as not good.

I had enough experience with nightmares to know that Alex was having one, and that sent my alarm bells ringing.

Initially, I thought of crawling over to him and waking him up. Though I was kind of hesitant about that idea, but on the other hand, I hated seeing people in distress. That’s me, Mr.-Cares-For-Everyone.

I wiggled out of my sleeping bag, shaking off a few air fresheners and just hoping that the smell doesn’t cling to me. Then I crawled over to Alex’s bag and sat on my feet.

Now, sitting here. Despite all the things that he’s done to me, seeing Alex’s face scrunched up and his features full with fear. It made my heart twist in a way that I didn’t think was possible.

“Alex?” I gingerly place my hand on his shoulder. I made sure to lean away in case he lashed out. A fist in the face was not healthy for my face.

Almost instantly, Alex shoots straight up, holding on to my wrist in a death-grip. “Fuck!-“ He says, his two-toned eyes were wild. Even in the dim light, I could see the electric-intensity of his amber eye, while his chocolate brown one seemed to blend in with the darkness. It’s one of the most bizarre looks I’ve seen on him, creating an illusion of Alex’s face being split in half.

We end up staring at each other. He was still gripping my wrist but his grasp has relatively softened, almost like he was holding on to me for the comfort of it. Meanwhile, I was about to fall over from leaning away too far.

Alex’s gaze goes from me to his own hand, his surprising realization quickly replaced by a frown. “What do you want?” He rips away his hand, hiding it in the folds of his sleeping bag.

I shift my position, sitting with crossed legs, “Oh well. I don’t know. I totally don’t notice you having a bad time sleeping.” Alex’s eyes darken.

“I woke you up?”

“No, I couldn’t sleep.” I reply, surprised at the bitterness in his voice.

“So I kept you awake. Great.” He mumbles the last word under his breath but I manage to hear it anyway.

I don’t really know what to say to Alex now that he was staring straight at me. And I couldn’t exactly meet his eyes because they were kind of scary, so I looked elsewhere. Alex looked bedraggled, more tired than I’d ever seen him. His borrowed school shirt from Blitzen hanging off his lanky frame.

Quiet snores and paced breathing bounced off the wall of the room. The chirping of birds and distant music from a stereo somewhere out in the city were all I heard. Back in the family mansion, I rarely heard anything during the night. Randolph’s place was creepily quiet, even the birds didn’t come near.

But here I was, sitting with Alex Fierro sometime around 2 AM. None of us made a move and that made my hyperactive brain itch. I had to do _something_.

I searched my mind for something to do and it just so happens that I have an actually good, non-stupid idea. “Uh. Hey. You want to see something cool?” I keep my voice soft. Alex gives me a sideways look.

“That sounds really fucking sketchy, you know that?”

“Yeah, well, how else could I get your attention?” To my surprise, Alex chuckles. I give him a small smile.

He puts a hand on his chest and grabs his denim jacket that’s laying nearby, “You know me so well, Maggie.”

I make a face at the nickname but I get up anyway. Alex and I skirt around Sam’s couch. She wasn’t wearing her hijab so a mess of hair covered her face. It wasn’t that cold but she was wrapped up in a blanket so tight that I would’ve mistaken her for a breakfast burrito. But I was glad that she seemed to be sleeping nicely.

The bed, meanwhile, was empty.

“Where the hell are they?” Alex asks, eyeing the bed.

“I guess they left.” I reply, “Hearthstone had to go back to his house.” My green-haired companion raises an eyebrow but he doesn’t ask any other questions. We exit the room.

“So, where are we going, Mango?” Alex pipes up from behind me as we traverse the living room. I resisted the urge to shush him because if I did that, _I’d_ probably be shushed for eternity.

“Up.” I simply answer back, watching where I stepped in the apartment. I hear a thud from behind me and a pained curse from Alex, “Are you okay?” I immediately swivel around to look at him.

“Yeah, whatever. Lead the way, tour guide.” He waves me off, scowling at his foot.

Getting to the front door proved to be difficult as there seemed to be _more_ junk littered on the floor. Bilì really needs a lesson in cleaning. I swear, this guy was way worse than Randolph, cleaning-wise. And as Randolph’s cleaner, I could attest to that.

I left the door opened since the place was pretty secure. That crappy door downstairs was a first-rate defense against burglars. They’d never get through the janky lock. From our floor, we only had to climb three flights of stairs to get to the rooftop. The door to that place was always open, Blitzen told me when he first brought me up there. The view, especially at night, was stunning.

I wasn’t sure if Alex would appreciate it but I had a gut feeling that he would.

For me, I liked high places. It reminded me of the times I’d go hiking with my mom. When we were at the top of the mountain, we’d look down, then my mom would say, “Isn’t it just beautiful, pumpkin? The peace, the view, the perspective..” Then I’d make some dumb complaint about being tired, I always took those hikes for granted and that was something I regret.

All I was sure of was that those were the highlights of my childhood.

“You’re quiet.” Alex observes, he shrugs on his jacket.

“Thinking.”

“About what?”

I’m taken aback by the question. Alex Fierro caring about another’s thoughts??

Alex rolls his eyes, “I’m not completely dead inside, you know?”

“Well, yeah.. Sorry.” I clear my throat, holding onto the railings, “Just.. memories about my mom, I guess.”

“Your mom?” He asks, genuine curiosity in his tone.

“We used to hike back in Allston. Blue Hills.”

Alex lets out a yawn, rubbing his eyes, “Sounds familiar. I used to go hiking too.”

I almost stumble over a step at his reply, “Wait. Really?”

“Yeah, with my-“ Alex abruptly stops, “With my family.” The uncertainty in his voice made me doubt his words. He wasn’t going to say ‘family’, was he?

“Your dad doesn’t look like the hiking type.” I raise an eyebrow.

Alex snorts, “He doesn’t.” He agrees, not expanding on the subject.

We then stay in comfortable silence, well until Alex decided to start humming.

It’s mind-boggling how our interactions with each other changed in just one day. Like, he just joined us on this weird letter scavenger hunt and things took off from there. Two years of pranking and humiliation were thrown out the window and forgotten and somehow, I had no problem with it anymore. I let Alex take the reins.

“And here we are.” I say as we reach the top of the stairs.

“I hope this was worth the climb, Magnus. I’m in no mood to see bullshit right now.” Alex grumbles as he bends over, pushing his palms against his knees. I push the door open. Alex stands up slowly, eyes wide.

“Oh.”

The open rooftop showed a dazzling view of the city and the night sky. Beautiful is what I call it. The building wasn’t very tall so our view was blocked by a few taller buildings but it was still a nice view.

I walked to the edge and held onto the railing. Alex doesn’t seem to follow so I look back. He was standing there, hesitating to come closer.

“I.. Uhm..” He stammers.

 _Wait_.

Was Alex freaking Fierro afraid of heights? I found that unlikely since he used to hike before.

“Are you afraid of heights?” I asked, taking a step towards him.

“Just--goddamnit, fine.” The boy strides across the rooftop. He reluctantly inches towards the railing.

“Hey, it’s cool if you’re afraid.” I consider holding on to his arm to comfort him but I was afraid that he might throw me off the edge.

“I’ve got my reasons.” Alex mumbles, his knuckles already white as paper as he grips the cold metal bars.

Looking below, I see cars and a few people trailing along the road. People seriously never slept in this place.

Suddenly, the cold autumn air picks up. Wind whipped at my clothes. If I still had my long hair, I’d probably be drowning in it.

I look over.

Alex stood there like a statue, his eyes concentrated on the sky. His curly grass-green hair was being blown away, revealing the side of his face that I could see. His lips were a thin line, as if he wasn’t sure what to make of this experience. He also looked so thin in Blitz’s shirt. If I didn’t know any better, I’d have expected him to float away in the wind. But Alex was a lot heavier and stronger than he let on.

Distant honking came from the streets. The flutter of feathery wings sounded from overhead. It all seemed like the calm before storm, though I wasn’t sure what that storm was.

Alex was a strange sight to see. I’d never seen him frozen up and quiet like this, most of the time, he’d be humming, whistling or tapping his fingers. He was one of those people who couldn’t keep still or quiet so seeing him like this weirded me out.

I wasn’t entirely sure how I knew all this stuff. Whatever.

“If you think I’m going to tell you my dream, then I might as well go to hell.” Alex speaks at last.

“I wasn’t planning on it.” I replied, “I guess I wanted to talk about your relations.”

“My--relations?” Alex seems to stammer, but he quickly composes himself.

“With the writer.”

“Huh.” Alex sniffs, rubbing the back of his neck with a hand.

I look at him expectantly. Alex’s lips were pursed.

“I guess you could say that we’re close.” Alex’s lips stretch into a smirk as he talks, “We’ve been friends for years.”

The fact that Alex gives me such a straight answer makes my jaw drop, “So--so you know them?”

“As a matter of fact, I do. I know them very much.”

“You’re in on this letter stuff then?!” I ask, knitting my eyebrows together.

“Of course not, my friend just told me to babysit you.” Alex huffs, “I’d never participate in some fetch quest-type shit like this.”

“What about that apology back in the library?” The questions comes out of my mouth faster than a bullet out of a gun, “Did you really mean that or did they tell you to do it?” _UGHHHHHH._

Alex turns and leans his back against the railing, crossing his arms and sighing, as if he expected the question.

“I really meant that, okay?” He looks at me, a startling solemnity in his eyes, “All that shit that I did to you in the past few years, those were all asshole moves from me. There, did that make you happy?”

“Oh.” I stare back at him, “Why--why did you all that crap if you knew that you were being an asshole?”

Alex’s open expression turns withdrawn, “I’ve got my reasons. None of which you need to know, Maggie. This may be a Q&A session but I’m not answering _all_ of your questions.”

I hold up my hands at the sudden change, “Alright, alright.”

Alex takes a deep breath, running a hand through his messy hair. I couldn’t help but think of him as a character from a movie. One of those secretive but badass people that you have a chance meeting with and they just give you life-changing advice and you never see them again.

“What about your friend?” I asked, trying to make the most out of this time alone with him.

“What about hi--them?” Alex quickly corrects himself, then he raises a dark eyebrow.

“I’ve only ever seen you hang out with Halfborn, Mallory and that other guy.”

“That just means you haven’t been looking harder.” His bicolored eyes roll together in tandem, “I have _other_ friends besides those idiots.”

“Do they really actually like me though?” My self-consciousness leaks through my words. A heat settles on my cheeks when Alex gives me a sly look, a smirk lining his lips.

“Yeah. A lot. It’s kinda gross actually.” He bluntly replies.

I could’ve collapsed right then and there. I looked away from Alex because his gaze was piercing through my soul. Goddamnit, who was this writer?

Alex hums, smiling at my reaction. He turns around to face the view, apparently having shaken off his initial fear. It’s also at that time that I realize that sometime during the conversation, we moved closer to each other, maybe it was because of the cold, but my arm was right beside his, wrist-up.

“Why’d you get that as your tattoo?” Alex asks, eyes casting down towards my upturned wrist.

“It felt right at the time.” I shrugged, “Plus, it’s my favorite rune.”

“You gave that one to Hearthstone, didn’t you?”

“Yeah.” My eyebrows arch in surprise that he’d still remember that tiny detail.

“What does it mean anyway?” Alex tips his head, “It looks nerdy and cool and all but that seriously can’t be it.”

“It means an empty cup. Like you’re waiting to be filled or complete.”

“That’s fucking depressing.”

“It is.” I crack a smile, “What about your tattoo?”

“I’m surprised it took you this long to ask.” Alex says, a hand raising to rub the neck of his neck again.

“Yeah, because I have all the time in the world.” Sarcasm drips from my voice like sap.

Alex snorts, “Gee, all that time in the car.”

“Well, it was for safety reasons.”

“I’m not gonna suddenly bite off your head for asking a question, y’know.” His words almost made me believe him but there was an underlying tone of _I’d decapitate you in a heartbeat._ I didn’t want to take my chances. I liked having my head on my shoulders and just staying there.

“Is that supposed to be comforting?”

“It should be.” Alex wears a small sardonic smile at seeing my narrowed expression. Then his eyes flick away, “The tattoo’s the Urnes Snakes, common in Norway, I guess. Wouldn’t you know its meaning? You’re the..” He waves his hands around, “Norse Mythology Expert.”

“I’m not as all-knowing as you hope I’d be.” I roll my eyes.

“Eh,” He shrugs, bringing his hands down on the railing, “The snakes mean change and flexibility. One day, I just saw it on the internet and I said, ‘Fuck it. That’s totally me and it’s cool-looking.’ So I got a tattoo of it.”

Alex pulls his jacket further about him, showing the Urnes Snakes patch by his collar. An image flashes in my mind; The same symbol being on the pottery studio wall.

“You drew that didn’t you? Back at the studio.”

“Yeah. I’ve been to that place before, with them.” Alex replies, his voice lost to the rush of wind that blows his wild hair back. He tilts his head to the sky, eyes closed. “I’m gonna come here again sometime just to stay on this damn rooftop.”

“It’s calming, isn’t it?”

A hum spills from his lips in reply. It’s actually nice to see Alex so at peace. Then as if hearing my thoughts, he opens his eyes, and locks eyes with me. The air crackles with a weird electricity and butterflies make their way into my stomach, fluttering with an anxiety I’ve never felt before.

That’s also the moment that I realize that I’ve been _staring_ at him for too long.

_Fuck._

A lone _ping!_ disturbs the silence, breaking the moment. Just like that, those few seconds were lost to the past, becoming only a memory.

Alex ignores the notification but a couple more pings follow and he sighs, shuffling around to get his phone out of his polka dot pajamas. “It’s Mallory and Halfborn.” Alex says with a frown, annoyance knotting his brow. As his eyes trail down the screen, his face lights up a smirk forming on his lips. He looks up at me, I try to resist the urge to look away.

“You wanna get fucking wasted?”

“No way.” I step back.

“Come on, Blitzen isn’t around! This is our chance.”

“Nope.”

“It’s part of the fucking bucket list, don’t be a pansy.” Alex glares daggers at me, “It’s the last one, after that the bucket list is done.”

“Fine.” I sigh, knowing that I wasn’t going to win against Fierro, “Where is this place?”

The devious smirk on Alex’s face is even scarier when highlighted by the brightness of his phone screen.

 

* * *

 

The  bar was surprisingly close, just a few blocks down the road.

“Since you’re such a damn child, just stay near me.” Alex huffs,

“I should’ve stayed with Sam..” I say, shuffling closer to Alex. I felt my remaining pride wilt away every second I stayed in here, shame filling up the empty space. I was still wearing my freaking pajamas and Samirah was sleeping all alone back at Blitzen’s apartment.

Alex proved to be a great distraction since he kept walking closer and closer with every step we took. Maybe for warmth or comfort, I guess. Nevertheless, I felt a tiny bit safer with Alex Fierro, professional butt-whooper, accompanying me on a midnight walk to the local bar.

The bar part wasn’t as nice as the walk though.

Alex and I snuck in through the back when we see saw a bouncer guarding the front door. I didn’t know what kind of bar this was but it was definitely way out of my comfort zone.

“You sure do like breaking in a lot.” I mutter to him as we enter the bar.

“It’s not breaking in if the door’s unlocked for all who want to drink their brains out.” Alex tosses me an innocent smirk like, _What you gonna do about it?_ I only roll my eyes in reply.

Then we finally roll into the party.

I wasn’t a stranger to crowds, but this bar was frighteningly full. I admit, I’ve never actually been in one so who knows if this classifies as “full” or not.

Alex takes my hand nonchalantly. Normally I’d pull away but the warmth in his hand was reassuring, like he was telling me he was _there._ Of course, I could also be overthinking it and he just means it as, _Damnit, if I don’t take this idiot’s hand, he’ll get lost in here._ To be fair, that has a chance of happening.

“Keep an eye out for Halfborn and Mallory.” He orders and leads me into the drunken fray.

Question.

How are you supposed to look for someone in a sea of half-naked dancing bodies? Seriously.

Also, I was looking forward to keeping my eyes safe from NSFW stuff but this dance floor was full of NSFW stuff.

Oh, hello, that’s a body part I don’t like rubbing up on me.

Nope, do _not_ look. Bad Magnus.

An upbeat song rings through my ears as Alex pulls me along.

_She took my arm,_

_I don’t know how it happened,_

_We took the floor and she said.._

 

Somebody bumps into me, making me bump into Alex who’s, for some reason, stopped right in front of me.

“What the-“ Alex growls, turning around and _okay_ , our faces are really close.

_She said shut up and dance with me,_

_This woman is my destiny.._

 

A moment passes when a hoarse whisper from Alex sends me into a full-blown tomato-red blush.

“You know, you just had to ask if you want to get this close.”

“I--uh..” My mind comes up blank for replies, his sudden flirt turning me into a complete flustered mess. I am suddenly _very_ aware of Alex’s hand still intertwined with mine.

 Under the purple disco light, Alex’s features were soft yet so masculine, and maybe it was just the light but his eye colors seemed to shift like a kaleidoscope. One color to the next. His gaze made my head spin like the disco ball above us. I could feel my hand starting to get clammy. Yikes.

_Ba-bump. Ba-bump._

 

I didn’t know which was louder, my heartbeat or the music.

 

_Ba-bump. Ba-bump._

 

Alex pulls away, muttering something I can hear over the blaring dance music.

 

_Ooh, ooh, shut up and dance with me.._

 

My green-haired friend disappears after we finally squeeze our way out of the crowd, leaving me confused in more ways than one.

“Magnus!” I turn at the sound of my name. Oh, look, there’s Mallory, Halfborn and that other guy. I promptly run over to them lest I should be carried away by the dancing crowd.

“Glad to see you got the invite. Where did Alex go?” Halfborn Gunderson asks, looking around as if Fierro was hiding around somewhere in the seats. His bushy beard swaying with the motion of his head.

“Not sure..” I trail off, looking around as well, hoping to see the familiar green hair but _nada._

A small concerned look passes through the group of three, then it disappears as fast as it appeared. A look of utter joy lines the features of Halfborn’s face.

“Let’s get some drinks, woman!” Halfborn bellows, standing up and pulling Mallory along with him. Mallory, on the other hand, is torn between a look of excitement and pure irritation.

I’m pretty sure that a murder’s going to happen tonight.

 

* * *

 

 

Stupid.

Stupid.

_Estúpido_

That was Alex right now.

Sure, he’d been crushing on Magnus Chase ever since his first year here but that was definitely no damn excuse to suddenly flirt with him and fucking make _bedroom_ eyes?

Dear god.

Alex couldn’t believe that he was thinking about this right now but he wanted Sam to be here so bad. At least she could give him some practical advice that he needed right now to not act like a hormone-driven teenager that’s been suppressing their feelings since they were born.

But this was Alex’s idea and he was going to follow through, even if it fucking kills him.

First, he has to have a mental breakdown in the bathroom because that’s how all good ideas start. After that, Alex will have to rethink his life choices and wonder where it all went wrong.

Oh never mind, he has the faintest ideas of when.

Maybe it was when he first saw stupid Magnus Chase’s stupid goofy smile.

Or when Alex’s abuelo died.

Or--or maybe that time in 2nd grade when he swallowed glue. That would’ve made him lose some brain cells, right?

Thinking about it, there are a lot of things to choose from. The only problem is picking out _one_ thing.

Right now, he chooses the first one.

Alex lets out a groan, wanting to smash his face right into the damn mirror. Back in the studio, he could break a few pots to vent. But outside the studio? Maybe he could break his face and that would feel better.

Luckily, the bathroom’s empty. No feet in the stalls unless there was some magical levitating torso somehow peeing in the toilets.

And here is where there’s some semblance of a happy place.

The bathroom reverberated with a **familiar song** that Alex couldn’t really place because he was too busy hating himself.

_Wanna be yours,_

_Wanna be yours,_

_Wanna be yours.._

He could feel the sink vibrating under his palms every time there was a beat. For some reason, the feeling was comforting, like smooth clay molding in his hands. God how Alex wished to be back at the studio. But right now, he was fine with calming down in the bathroom of a fucking bar. Then he can’t help but think how pathetic that is of him.

Alex’s head thrums and swirls with _thoughts_.

“You can’t be a person without being a little fucked up.” The words roll over his tongue. Familiar. It’s depressing how that’s become his mantra for the past few days. But hey, it’s comforting to know that you’re not the only one.

 But this time, the words don’t have the same effect.  And he’s left in an empty bathroom, the repeating _wanna be yours_.. ringing in his ears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> preview of next chapter:  
>  **Papa Blitz: WHERE ARE YOU AND MAGNUS?!?!?!!**  
>  then just blitzen storming through the friggin bar like, IM HERE TO PICK UP MY KID, NO, NOT YOU ALEX.  
> alex: adopt me blitz  
> blitzen then picks up magnus and flies back to the apartment  
> (oh shit, i realized that i gave away the WHOLE plot!!!!!)
> 
> IS THIS FLUFF ENOUGH? DOES THIS CONSIDER AS FLUFF, IM GOING CRAZY LMFAO  
> but seriously when i was writing this i was like "mm yes fierrochase.. nOW KISS"  
> then at the end i was just like _**FUUUUUUUUCK**_
> 
> then maybe i felt bad a little because i made alex way too depressed. gEE, rick, im going to wait for the alex pov in october even if it means forever.
> 
> anyways, is the the writing a bit rushed? is the pacing alright? im curious to know pls  
> thanks for reading and have a lovely day/noon/evening!


	15. The Fourth Letter (FINALLY)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LIVE!!!!!!!

Wine tasted like my life. Full of regret.

Seriously, I wanted to upchuck the stuff as soon as it entered my system. But I opted for scrunching my face up instead. I definitely wasn’t going to drink _that_ anymore. As I aimlessly chatted with Alex’s friends, all I could think is how disappointed Blitzen will be, especially after he laid down the law earlier. Oh well.

“Is this.. seriously what you guys do after school?” I ask, fighting the urge to recoil like a wimp.

“Well, not all the time,” TJ chides, sloshing around the liquid in his cup. He was a pretty nifty guy aside from the casual references to musicals I didn’t know about, “We really just go where Alex goes.”

“Or where he wants us to go!” Halfborn adds. The weird remark earns him an elbow in the side from Mallory whose face is as red as her hair.

The Irishwoman gives me a sweet smile, but it seemed more like _Ignore the idiot_ , “What he means is that we just go where. Alex just tags along.”

“For the most part.” Halfborn mumbles, rubbing his side and chugging down another mug of beer. He didn’t even look the least bit tipsy despite the number of empty mugs in front of him.

“Speak of the devil..” Mallory’s green eyes flit sideways, focusing elsewhere. I turn my head and standing there is Alex.

He saunters over to our booth, holding a cup filled to the brim, “Hey nerds.”

“You didn’t really have to steal from someone, you know.” TJ says, looking at Alex then to Halfborn.

“We should abuse this one’s ID as much as we can.” Mallory pats her boyfriend’s back, eliciting a cheeky grin from him, “And waste his money.” Mallory then adds. At that point, Halfborn’s grin disappears under a bearded scowl.

Alex snorts, taking a swig of whatever was in the cup, “That’s no fun, is it?” Then his gaze meets mine. He shrugs when I questioningly raise an eyebrow. Alex moves over to Mallory and Halfborn’s side of the booth, but Mallory doesn’t budge so he shuffles over to me and TJ instead.

And I am sandwiched between a musical enthusiast and a tipsy green mess. (That doesn’t sound right...)

Speaking of mess, I wondered where Alex ran off to because he didn’t look too good. His hair was messier than usual and I mean curls sticking up everywhere and bangs falling into his face. I had a strange urge to pat his hair down but I swallow _that_ down with a gulp of beer.

“Where did you wander off to?” Mallory blows a fiery red curl out of her face.

“Nowhere.” Alex says into his cup, voice barely audible.

A blanket of awkward silence falls over the table. I wasn’t really well-acquainted with people that I usually avoided. Well, I guess except Alex Fierro.

“Why don’t we play a game?” TJ suggests brightly.

“What are we?” Mallory frowns, “Fourth-“

“Stupid high-schoolers that have nothing else to do.” Alex cuts her off, “Fuck yeah, let’s do that.”

“Well, what game then-“

“Never Have I Ever.” I blurt out, the whole table looks at me.

“Sounds fun, let’s do it!” Halfborn pounds the table, shouting gleefully. Mallory looks like she’s about to protest but the bearded giant literally leaves no room for Mallory to complain as he pushes her off the seat, “Are you going to complain all night, Keen?”

“That or I could take this glass and shove them up your-“

“Guys! Heck, it’s just a friendly game!” TJ intervenes, leaning over the table and defusing the situation before we see some butt-whoopin, “Let’s just give it a try without killing each other, okay?”

 

* * *

 

Not killing each other was something the couple understood. Alcohol poisoning was not.

People would’ve seen Mallory and Halfborn as mortal enemies, personally I did. They had some moments where they were cute together but most of the time they were at each other’s throats. In this case, they were trying to see who would get drunk faster.

The current tally was TJ and I having zero shots, Alex a few and Mallory and Halfborn having the most. Which was unsurprising.

“Never have I ever grown a stupid hobo’s beard.” Mallory says spitefully, narrowing her eyes when Halfborn reaches to touch his beard, frowning.

“You’re a woman. You can’t grow a beard.”

“Exactly. I’ve never had a beard before, much less a ridiculous one like yours. Drink up.”

Halfborn mutters something about his beard being fabulous and another shot of vodka goes down his throat. So far I’ve never taken a shot, and I prefer that it stayed that way.

“Never have I ever set my hair on fire.” Halfborn muses, smiling at his girlfriend as she covers her face with her hands.

“One time!” Mallory Keen actually set her own hair on fire. Holy crap.

“You still did it though.”

Alex suddenly bursts into laughter, “Holy shit, that one summer with Bethany Friar?”

“She was a one-of-a-kind bitch.” Mallory sniffs, downing a shot. Her face contorts as she tastes the alcohol, “I hate vodka.”

“I remember that.” TJ snorts, “I told you to leave her alone.”

“To be honest, we barely noticed it burning. The fire wasn’t all that different from her red hair!” Alex snickers, “So when she ran around screaming about her hair being on fire we were so confused then we noticed the smoke. Legend says, if you look closer, some hairs are still singed.”

“Says the one who actually had real grass on her head for an entire week.” Mallory retorts. I light up, looking at Alex who ruffles his hair. Of course, he’d put grass on his head, that made total sense.

A long time ago, back in Allston,  whenever my mom would make spaghetti. I’d put the cooked noodles on my head just to see how long it would take my mom to notice that I had pasta in my hair. Spoiler alert: she figured it out pretty quickly, especially when I took a noodle from my head and ate it.

“Hey, I was trying to be one with nature, alright?” Alex replies defensively, putting his palms up, “Go on, TJ.”

 “Uh.” TJ purses his lips, face scrunched in deep concentration, “Never have I ever.. cheated on a test?”

“Lame!” Alex cups a hand around his mouth but takes a shot. So does Halfborn.

Ah crap. As much as I’d like to say I’ve been a good student, cheating is something I’m familiar with. I whisper an apology to Blitzen and steel my nerves. I grip the shot glass filled with vodka and down it.

Should I say that I wasn’t prepared? Because I wasn’t prepared.

As I ingested the stuff, a burning sensation runs down my throat like liquid fire. An alcoholic smell wafts up to my nose and I feel like gagging at the intensity of it. The bad part? I could actually feel the vodka running down my esophagus and that made it ten times worse.

It was about the worst few seconds of my life.

“And Magnus takes his first shot like a man!” Halfborn cheers, reaching over the table to punch my shoulder. The table almost upturns at his movements and my stomach is squished between the ledge and the seat. Thankfully he sits back down and I can finally breath.

“Well?” Alex turns to me, the corners of his mouth turning up into the littlest of smiles. Was that an impressed look I saw in his eyes? I wasn’t sure, maybe the alcohol was already getting to me. And I had only one friggin’ shot. I wasn’t going to survive this night.

Oh, it’s my turn, isn’t it? “Crap. Uhm,” I grasp my mind for something to say. I kind of wanted everyone to drink on my round, especially TJ, so I come up with this shit, “Never have I ever fallen in love.”

“Ooh! Trying to poke at people, Beantown?” Mallory sits up straight, gaze trained on Alex.

“You seriously have never fallen in love?” TJ asks, shocked.

“I’m pretty sure no?” I ponder on that, maybe a little crush here and there but never _love_ love.

Mallory and Halfborn drink at the same time, elbowing each other sweetly. Okay, they were admittedly cute sometimes. TJ downs his first shot. Score! I’m about to say it’s Alex’s turn but then I notice that everyone’s staring at him.

Reluctantly, Alex’s hand wraps around the glass and another shot of vodka disappears down his throat. Mallory nods like she’s satisfied but she doesn’t say a word, lest she face the wrath of Alex Fierro..

But the surprising fact smacks me in the face. Alex has fallen in love before.. I totally did not file away that information for further questions. I didn’t know why but I just felt like asking a lot of stuff about Fierro? I didn’t want to be a creeper but I just felt curious.

Ugh, brain why.

For someone who does pretty much everything, you’d think that Alex would have a hard time thinking of something to say but he still manages to come up with something. “Never have I ever sucked at Mario Kart.”

Alex eyes Halfborn who pouts, “I’m decent at Mario Kart.”

“And forever will be decent.” Mallory adds, “You too, TJ.” Then the redhead raises an eyebrow at me, “What about you, Magnus?”

“No lying. This one can spot a lie from miles away.” Halfborn says, putting an arm around Mallory’s shoulders and pulling her closer. Mallory disappears under a blanket of scruffy beard.

“I’m going to cut this off in your sleep.” Mallory growls, pushing herself away.

“Not when you’re all wrapped up in my arms, you’re not.” That reply earns Halfborn an affectionate punch to the shoulder.

“I don’t know, I’ve never really played Mario Kart?” I shrug. All we ever played at Blitzen’s was GTA V, Crash Bandicoot and Horizon Zero Dawn. (which had us screaming from all the scary robot monsters)

“It has come to my knowledge that you have never done anything in your life, Chase.” Alex frowns, “Do you ever do anything exciting?”

“Uhm. Doing this letter stuff?”

“Aside from that.”

“Well,” I hesitate, ”Then.. no.”

“That’s depressing.”

“Misérables, even.” TJ grins.

“Oh enough of that, Jefferson.” Mallory sighs.

Alex rolls his eyes, then fixes me with a stare, “Drink up and get outta my sight.” I drank but I didn’t really want to get out of anyone’s sight right now so I stayed put.

A few more shots later, my head was pounding and my face was burning red from the alcohol. Thankfully the game ends, but with Halfborn extremely drunk. The guy starts mumbling about dancing and suddenly carries Mallory bridal-style and they disappears onto the dance floor, followed by panicked Mallory-screeching.

I look at Alex who frowns at me, “Why you lookin’ at me for? I’m not gonna fucking carry you.”

“Opportunity wasted.” I mumbled. The bass speakers in the club were so powerful that with every beat of the music my bones vibrated. Loud _untz, untz, untz’s_ resonated in my bones. Alex actually smirks at my comment.

Then he pulls out his phone, “Oh shit.” He grins and flashes the screen at me. I can barely register the tiny blurry text but here’s what I could make out.

 

_Papa Blitz: First of all, why did you leave Sam alone and second_

_Papa Blitz: WHERE THE FUCK DID YOU GUYS RUN OFF TO?_

_Alex: chillll_

_Papa Blitz: Please don’t tell me that you are where I think you are_

_Alex: mayeb we area, maybe we arent_

_Papa Blitz: WHERE_

I didn’t know what to be worried about, the fact that Alex has Blitzen named as ‘Papa Blitz’ on his phone or that Blitzen has found out that we’re totally disobeying him. But nevertheless, I started giggling like a maniac and I didn’t know why.

Alex looks at me, starting to smile as well, “Should we tell him?”

I could tell in Alex’s eyes that he was begging me to say no. So me being the loopy decision maker said no. And just like that, the problem was solved. Alex slips his phone back into his pocket, shooting me a sloppy wink and he stands up, legs wobbling at the sudden movement.

“The heck are you going?”

“Where else? Gotta chaperone Mack and Halfborn.” I wasn’t sure if the chaperone was supposed to be almost as intoxicated the ones they were supposed to be chaperoning but I wasn’t going to argue with Alex.

And I was left alone with TJ who was on his phone, swiping away. I had a weird urge to peek at his screen, considering that he was holding it really far from his face. But I decided that I wasn’t going to invade someone’s privacy today.

“So.” TJ hums, being incredibly chill for someone who’s had five shots. I admired his tolerance.

“So.” I repeated, smiling brightly like nothing was wrong. That was probably a big lie.

TJ suddenly looks up from his phone then shifts around in his seat, “’Fore I forget. I was, uh, told to give this to you.” Out of his pants, TJ pulls out a small paper square. I thought it was a piece of origami or something, but then my hazy mind finally worked it out.

The fourth letter, it was staring at me right in the face.

TJ must’ve gotten a kick out of my dumbstruck expression because he started giggling deliriously.

I take the letter from him with shaky hands. “Wh-who?” I ask. I wanted to know. So bad.

He gives me a sad smile which makes my stomach drop, “You know I can’t say but..” His gaze is far off, “They’ve liked you for a really long time and they’re _pretty_ bad at expressing it.”

“Well they must be if they’ve waiting this long.” I cannot keep my mouth from running, thankfully TJ doesn’t look too offended, “But.. this is really the fourth letter right?”

TJ grins, “Yup. No running around completing tasks anymore.”

I sigh in relief, “Thanks, TJ.” He gives me a gentle pat on the back, as if he was apologizing for the bucket list and what we had to do for it. I deserved that apology.

“No problem, dude.”

I sat there for a few seconds, staring at the letter. Should I open it now? Maybe I should wait for Alex to come back then I can--

“MAGNUS!”

I take a moment to turn around. My brain was a bit slow but I tried to search for the source of my name.

Why did that voice sound familiar?

Hmm.

Bursting from the dancing crowd was Blitzen himself, in all his pajamas glory.

“Blitz!“

“Kid, what the hell are you doing here?” Disappointment reflects in Blitzen’s charcoal eyes, he grips my shoulders.

“You look pretty funny.” I smile, not really knowing why. I felt pretty lightheaded and giddy though.

Blitzen smacks his forehead with his hand, sighing, “We have to go. You aren’t supposed to be here!” While he tries to pull me to my feet, I look towards the dance floor.

“Alex?”

“Nope, he’s a bad influence for everyone in the group.”

“Well, I wonder who taught me curse words in sign language!” I counter.

“It was easier--“ Blitzen shakes his head, “I’m not going over this tonight, kid. Especially not here. _Let’s. Go._ ”

“No.” I frown, standing my ground. Blitz looks absolutely astonished, like he didn’t expect me to defy him, “We have to get Alex.”

Just in time, Alex squeezes out of the crowd and he sees Blitzen. The expression on his face is like _Oh shit._ He saunters over to us, “How the hell did you get here?”

“That’s doesn’t matter. We need to go like right now.”

I look at Alex, wanting to know his next move. Surprisingly he doesn’t fight against Blitzen, instead he just shuffles closer to me, “Let’s go, Maggie. We got what we came for.” Then he walks past me and Blitzen.

Blitz raises an eyebrow at me and gestures for me to follow after Alex. I glance behind me to see if TJ is still there and he isn’t.

And just like that the night is over.

It turns out that Sam’s in the car outside, “Hey.” She greets us, “What happened?”

“We drank.” Alex replies curtly and leans against the car window, no longer talking. Seeing him being silent made me not want to talk either, which wasn’t really a problem because Blitz and Sam didn’t ask any more questions.

  

* * *

 

I woke up with a surprisingly small hangover, despite the number of shots I took hours earlier. But I still felt like shit though, my throat was dry and my head was throbbing with pain. And then I realized. I needed water right now. Very badly.

I got up from my sleeping bag, shaking off a few air fresheners. The room was bright and empty, by empty I mean I was the only person there. I guess it shouldn’t have surprised me, I really _sleep_ when I had the option to. I’m not going to waste my chances.

The pounding in my head became worse when I stood up. A headache was definitely better than nausea but my head still hurt pretty bad. I wasn’t in the best of conditions right now, not to mention the hunger nipping at my stomach. Typical of my friends to leave me alone after the night I had. I really had to talk with them about leaving me alone in certain situations.

Speaking of hungry.. The thought of brunch made my stomach growl. Judging by the brightness of the sun outside, it was probably near afternoon so brunch it is.

I walked into the hallway, to my surprise it was devoid of junk. How thoughtful.

The aroma of butter filled my senses, pancakes maybe? I was so down for pancakes right now. Though the little dark corner in my mind was screaming for _FALAFEL!!!!!_

“And he’s back from the living!” Alex cheers as ...he? sees me shuffles around the corner like a zombie. As I look around, I realize that the hallway wasn’t the only place cleaned but the entire apartment too.

“What in the heck happened here?” I ask, pleasantly confused. I wanted to know how they cleaned up this place in just a few hours. Did Bilì suddenly create an Extra Large Vacuum? If so, I am going to steal that thing and make it my own.

Blitzen smiles and shrugs nonchalantly, “We cleaned up.”

“That’s a huge understatement and you know it, Blitz.” Sam comments, sipping on a mug of coffee. Bilì bursts from the kitchen, holding a plate with an enormous stack of pancakes. Hell yes.

I immediately take the seat beside Alex because I need to _eat_.

Hundreds of pancakes later--

“That was truly horrifying.” Samirah says, wide-eyed “Please don’t ever do that in front of me ever again.” I run my tongue over my lips, getting the last bits of pancake crumbs off me.

“Maybe we should’ve used you to clean up the mess in here.” Alex smirks, her hand supporting her head as she looks at me, “Granted it would’ve been more disgusting though.”

“Alex, please no.” Sam gets a refill of coffee.

 _Good pancakes?_ Bilì smiles at me brightly, I respond with a thumbs-up.

“Magnus ingesting probably a hundred pancakes aside,” Blitzen clears his throat, stabbing his pancake slice with his fork, his appetite seemingly lost, “The letter?”

His words make me freeze.

The letter.

The fourth letter.

My head starts to hurt even more.

Alex pushes a glass of water towards me and I gladly gulp down the water.

“The letter, Maggie.” She mutters softly. Her green hair falls into her eyes as she gazes at me expectantly. Was that support I heard in her tone?

“Right.” I shake myself and reach into my pocket. It’s still there. A folded-up piece of paper that had come to be important to me. I momentarily glance at my wrist that has the tattoo.

 _Perthro_.

Hearthstone wasn’t here.

I sigh and unfold the paper and lean closer to the table. Inhale.

I read off the words:

 

_vodka. thats what you drank, didnt you? i bet youre like thinking, OH MY GOD! I’M A MIND READER! well, i just made sure that my friends would go on you. vodka gives you a minimal hangover so hey! im really thoughtful arent i?_

_but really, i wasnt sure if you have this magical innate alcoholic tolerance so i made them go with vodka. you probably don’t and your head is aching as hell right now_

_lets get down to business first. so hurrah! this is the fourth letter and you must be asking, where the heck is the fifth letter? well the plain truth is, i have spies everywhere. no exaggeration at all_

_i think a visit to your mansion should be your next objective (insert winky face because im way too lazy to draw a semicolon and a parenthesis)_

_hmm speaking of semicolons did you know that in tattoo form, theyre a symbol of a fight? like it symbolizes mental health struggles and stuff like that. a quote from someone “a semicolon is used when an author could’ve chosen to end their sentence but chose not to. the author is you and the sentence is your life.”_

_believe it or not, my first tattoo would’ve been that. if i hadn’t found something else that i felt represented me more. it’s a good tattoo to get. im not really sure what tattoo you chose to get but im sure its not stupid or anything_

_at least, i hope its not_

_and hey, you got a tattoo! youre finally finished with the bucket list. good job for accomplishing practically nothing LOL!_

_well i guess it means a lot to me if you did do it. ive been wanting to do that shit for a long time._

_ill let you in on a secret._

_also, you better not be reading this out loud to your friends because if you are im most probably going to die of embarrassment because hey, its not every goddamn day that you put all your emotions out there_

I stop reading there for privacy reasons and I look up at my friends and Bilì who’s been listening in curiously.

“You should read that privately, kid.” Blitzen leans into his chair, “We’ve heard enough.” I note that Sam’s trying really hard not to smile, I don’t really know why. Meanwhile Alex is glaring at her from across the table. What was up with them?

 _Who is that?_ Bilì asks, his head tilted to the side.

“A secret admirer, I guess.” I say uncertainly, how could I describe this person to someone who wasn’t in on our little scavenger hunt. “We have to go to my house.”

“Mansion, apparently.” Alex raises an eyebrow at me. “Are you _that_ rich?”

“That would be my uncle, otherwise I’m poor as all heck.” I frown, how could the writer have known that I lived in the family mansion? Did they follow me from school or something? That idea of someone stalking me while I went home didn’t sit right with me.

Blitzen sighs and eats the last of his pancake, “Let’s get ready then.”

Sam, Alex and I hustle back to Blitz’s bedroom while he fixes up the table with his dad. But I hesitate a bit when I look at Blitzen. I remembered him being pretty disappointed last night. I just wanted to make sure he was alright. Sadly, he’s too busy with cleaning up the dishes.

As we walk through the hallway, I glance over to Alex. I suddenly remember our conversations from last night and how she was supposedly close with our writer. If she was telling the truth, why hasn’t the writer ever mentioned her before if they were so close?

The detail made me wonder.

The way she’s been lately.. What if she?

No.

No freaking way.

“Hello? Are you just going to stand there?” A voice breaks through my thoughts. Alex.

I hurriedly go inside the bedroom.

The atmosphere is awkward with Sam around. It shouldn’t have been but it was. Some part of me wished that I was alone with Alex so I could ask her.

“So, you guys ran off last night.” Samirah says as a matter-of-fact.

“We did.” Alex agrees, nodding. She’s looking into Blitzen’s wardrobe dungeon.

“How did Blitzen find out where we were?” I ask, that was also a question lingering on my mind. If we didn’t tell Blitzen, how could he have known? Unless he developed location powers or something, but even that was highly unlikely.

“Not sure.” Sam shrugs. But she’s tugging ever so slightly at her hijab.

Just what are you hiding, al-Abbas?

I let go of the topic though, not wanting to pry further because it was way too early in the morning. (Cough, afternoon).

Alex showered first, then next was Sam. So to pass the time, I read the rest of the letter in the silence of Blitzen’s bedroom. It made for a pretty good atmosphere.

 

_so, the secret._

_i didn’t like you at first since you were.. i guess you. then i eventually got over it and tried to make you a regular face in the crowd, just someone id meet and never really know. believe it or not, we’ve spoken to each other before. just not on good terms. thats a big hint, isnt it?_

_then somehow, i started to actually like LIKE you. i don’t know how or why. ugh the gross feeling of attraction. i hate it. i sort of reacted violently to it. (pfft understatement of the fucking year)_

_yeesh, i realize that i can barely say anything without really big clues as to who i really am. this letter shit is harder than i thought, but at first it just seemed like, pen, paper, words and emotions. i hate my friends sometimes._

_you probably have great friends, don’t you magnus? you have an odd group that’s for certain. ive never really seen anything like it but it looks like you guys are a big happy family and i admit that kind of makes me jealous. my friends arent the mushy, family types. though i have to say, mal’s a bit of a den mother sometimes._

_but oh well, theyre the only people i really have._

_as im writing this, i realize how depressed i sound. well shit._

_anyways, good luck maggie._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first of all BREATHE  
> i am SO SORRY for taking this freaking long ajdklsajdlksa i promise you all that ill immediately start on the next chapter just to shrug off the load of writing  
> thank you for all who waited this long and are still reading this.. :') i love you guys so much and i probably wont ever be able to finish this without you guys
> 
> second of all  
> i know this isnt the most extravagant chapter. for those who expected drunk magnus, sorry i couldnt really whip up my writing skills to do him because first of all, im actually a lot younger than they are in this fic adjsklajdlka. ive only ever gotten tipsy but not full on wasted. the research i did didnt really yield much either..
> 
> third of all  
> i made a few corrections in the past letters but im not sure if i should tell you guys :3c
> 
> fourth of all  
> i hope you guys have a lovely day and just keep being the wonderful people that you are <3


	16. We go spelunking (I think I used that word wrong)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a short snip!

Another crash makes me wince. The sound echoes through the mansion, did they get out already?

“Magnus. Please.” Randolph inhales shakily as he tried to seemingly stay calm, “I’ll ask one more time.” His heavy gaze bore into mine, the smoky gray of his eyes mirroring mine. The intensity of it makes me freeze up even more.

“Where is the perthro rune?”

 

* * *

 

Okay, I have to rewind a bit, don’t I? I can’t just go diving into this without the proper lead-up!

Here’s about an hour ago before Operation: Break Into My Own House (I literally just came up with that name on the spot.) went wrong:

We left for the mansion just after breakfast (Or brunch as Samirah says). I’ll just say after we ate. Then I realized that I didn’t have my keys to the mansion so that left us with only one option. We had to break in. Again. Remind me again how times we’ve had to break into somewhere?

“Well, look on the bright side. At least it’s your house.” Alex says, grinning and shoving her hands into her hoodie pockets. She seemed to be feeling pretty pink today because the only visible green on her was her hair and shoes. Not that I had a problem with that. The only question I had was how Blitzen’s wardrobe seemed to be making clothes out of thin air because I have _never_ seen that hoodie in his closet. One of the universe’s greatest mysteries, indeed.

“I’m not really sure about what your definition of bright side is.” I raise an eyebrow at her. I wish I had a jacket I could shove my hands into. Scratch that, I wish I had a jacket in general.

Something’s still nagging at me though, “Seriously, no one’s thinking that it’s weird that the next letter’s at my house?”

Alex shrugs, “Eh.”

I replied with a sigh.

Our group looked.. small without Hearthstone. I don’t know, I was just used to seeing him in the back  with Blitzen every time I turned around. Now Sam and Blitz took up the rear instead, being de facto partners. Meaning that left me and Alex paired up. It felt like the universe was throwing everything at me to be a) left alone with Alex Fierro, b) paired up with Alex Fierro and c) with Alex Fierro in general.

That thought may or may not have sent butterflies fluttering in my stomach.

We are currently walking to the mansion because apparently the car broke down and it would take a while to fix it. Since we couldn’t really wait around any longer, Blitzen decided that we should walk for exercising purposes. Huh, who knew he was big on physical health? Not me as it turns out.

“Are you sure we have to break in?” Samirah frowns, she doesn’t like it as much as I do.

“Well, if Randolph left the door unlocked maybe we don’t have to.” I look at Sam who’s beginning to look uncomfortable, “Hey.. Have you checked in with your grandparents?”

“Yeah. Though I have to go home soon because they’re kind of mad that I didn’t go to school yesterday.”

I frown at that, “Will you be long?”

“Probably.” Samirah sighs, but she gives me a look like, _It’s alright. You can go on without me._ It sounds more dramatic than it should be, to be honest. But it sucks that our group is whittling down.

We walk past the Leif Erikson statue. The sun bounced off his shiny metal bra and upturned arm. You go, Leif.

A few more steps and out of the row of houses I spot it, there it is. The Chase family mansion.

“That thing still gives me the creeps.” Blitzen hugs himself, pulling his leather jacket closer to him, “It looks so gloomy.” He was right. I never really took the time to observe the brownstone from the outside but why would I? The inside was already an eyesore. Outside, the bricks seemed to be faded and the stone-framed windows were grimy and grainy. The windows to my room weren’t since I clean them, even if it meant having to rappel down the mansion just to clean the outside of the window (No questions please).

Generally, it was just really dingy compared to the brownstones beside it.

“Wait ‘til you guys see the inside.” It comes to mind that none of my friends have ever been to the mansion before. I would’ve preferred that it stayed that way but it was unavoidable now.

Hopefully ol’ Uncle Randolph wasn’t around. The last meeting I had with him wasn’t exactly pleasant or heartwarming. I wonder how he’d react when I bring friends around.

“Well, that’s welcoming.” Alex says when the door swings open as I turn the handle.

“I think I should tell you guys now.” I wring my hands together, “We have to be careful inside because chances are, my uncle is inside.”

“Randolph?”

“Yup.” I nod, then the whole groups nods too as if I’d given them amazing information, “Let’s go then.”

Inside looks shockingly untouched and tidy. Did Randolph do this? I doubted it. I step aside to let the others file inside and I gently close the door and lock it.

Staring at a polished suit of armor, Samirah notes, “This is.. peculiar.”

“You’re telling me that you’re supposed to dust off all this shit every day?” Alex asks in an incredulous tone. Like she can’t believe that I can be that hardworking. Also, first off, can I say that I love their expressions? Especially Blitzen’s because he’s just like, _what tHE FUCK IS THIS!!!_

“Every four days,” I correct her, “My arm would probably fall off if I did this every day.”

“How do you live like this, Magnus?” Blitzen shakes his head, “This place is more of a museum than a home.”

“You could say that again.” I sigh, “Now let’s go find this letter.”

“Woah, woah, hold on.” Alex holds up her palms, “You’re not getting rid of us that quickly. We need a tour first. Right, guys?” She directs the last two words at Samirah and Blitzen who nod vigorously. Right, they’ve never been here before. I don’t really want anyone to get lost in this place so I reluctantly do the tour. Eh, who knows? Maybe we’d find the letter that way.

As we roamed around the first floor, I saw no signs of Randolph, which just made me even more on edge. Thankfully my friends didn’t pick up on my unease and instead looked around, wide-eyed.

The tour leads us to the kitchen where there was a bunch of ancient cooking utensils I could label as artifacts but in reality I really just wanted some leftover pizza. My stomach doesn’t get filled that easily.

“Sweet!” Alex runs over to the fridge and pulls it open with a little too much force. The door slams against the cupboards, rattling a precarious china cabinet.

“Alex!” Samirah whispers harshly, walking over to the green-haired girl.

“Hey, hey! The pizza’s mine!” I immediately haul ass and peek inside the fridge. And the box isn’t there.

“There was pizza?” Alex steps back, the box in her hand and a cold slice in the other, “It’s pretty cold, you might not like it.” A grin lines her pretty features. Somehow, I couldn’t find it in myself to get mad.

“We literally just barged into someone’s else house and you’re eating their pizza.” Sam says in disbelief, glaring at Alex like the girl had done an unspeakable criminal act against me.

“Hey!” Alex shrugs, another slice disappearing down her gullet, “Don’t be salty just because you can’t eat it. Besides, it’s Magnus’ pizza so there’s no problem there.” I turn to Blitzen who shakes his head.

“Let’s move on?” He suggests, burrowing his hands into his pockets. He didn’t seem to dig the décor of the kitchen. That was no problem because I didn’t either. Most of the time I left this place alone since I always had takeout or deliveries so the counters and everything else had a fine coating of dust.

“Nah, we can split up from here.” Alex wipes her mouth, “Phone, yeah?” Before they leave, Alex hands me the presumably empty pizza box but when I look inside, there’s about two slices left. She sticks her tongue out at me and turns to talk to Sam. I blink a few times to make sure I’m not imagining things.

I watch as the girls disappear into the mansion, leaving me with Blitzen. A total swap of the pairings I had expected earlier. It isn’t really that big of a deal but maybe some part of me ached for Alex’s unpredictable presence. Oh well, Blitz isn’t all that bad. In fact, he’s better company. We haven’t talked properly in a while.

“Where do you think we should look?” He questions. The mansion was like a maze, plus a lot of artifacts. Where would we be able to find a letter in all of this?

“Not.. really sure.” I reply, taking the last two pizza slices and leaving the box at the counter, “How about we just sweep around?”

Being alone with him, I realize that Blitzen’s demeanor had drastically changed, he felt just as gloomy as the mansion. I guess I could understand since Hearthstone wasn’t here. I was missing him too but apparently that was hitting Blitzen harder.

“Is Hearth okay?” I find myself asking, I offer him the other pizza slice but he shakes his head.

“Yeah, he’s fine. He’s gonna have to stay away for a while but don’t worry much about him, kid.” His low voice catches and he clears his throat, “You, on the other hand. I’m really worried about.”

“No way. Me?” A smile creeps its way up to my lips at Blitzen’s fatherly tone. I know he tries his best to not let it show but I think he’s already considered me as one of his ‘own’. Well, ever since he found out that I didn’t have a dad, I guess he took me in. Caring. That’s what he is.

“Yes, you. Listen, kid. This Fierro kid still doesn’t really make sense to me.” He begins, “Like, they’ve been bullying you for two years and suddenly you’re prancing around each other like nothing’s happened?” Blitzen stops to look at a suit of chainmail. I wasn’t quite sure where Randolph got _that_ , it wasn’t even his size, “Something just seems fishy. Now she’s managed to get you to drink--“

“He.” I interrupt him. Alex was a male at that time so I only felt that it was right to address him like that. Blitzen doesn’t seem to mind the correction though.

“Now _he’s_ managed to convince you to go to some bar and drink alcohol?” Blitz’s gaze meets mine, “Alex has just been really suspicious.” His words make me pause and I wonder.

I don’t know. Lately, I’ve just come to accept Alex into the group, even after all the stuff she’s done.. I just find myself forgiving her for every fault she’s had. Yesterday had showed a completely different side of her that I never really knew and I guess that had changed my views of her.

Alex wasn’t really a villain in my book. She was just... a wild card. Someone who was undetermined. A whirlwind of random and weird and uncertainty. Something about her slowly pulled me in. I wasn’t sure what but there was something there.

Maybe some weird connection...

“Magnus?” I snap back to reality at the sound of Blitzen’s voice.

“Uh.. Just trust me on this, okay?

Suddenly, Blitzen’s phone lets out a single _ding!_ interrupting our conversation.

 

  _Alex: A trouvaille?_

 

Next, there’s a picture of the Urnes Snakes symbol etched on a small stone.

 

_Blitzen: What the heck is a trouvaille?_

_Alex: A lucky find. Duh_

_Alex: Its a fancy word. it sounds cool okay?_

“Where did she find that?” My eyebrows shoot up, “I’ve never seen that here.”

“Let’s ask her then.”

 

_Blitzen: Magnus asks where did you find that?_

_Alex: Oh i dont know. sam and i are on the uhhh_

_Alex: Second floor?_

_Alex: No signs of this uncle you speak of_

“I guess that explains it.” The second floor was where my room was. It’s also where Randolph’s study used to be. Most of the Norse artifacts are there, including the case of runes. I’m not sure if that was still up, maybe he cleaned it up or left it there.

“Just tell them to keep a look-out though. Also, don’t go in my room.” It wasn’t like I had anything to hide but.. privacy reasons, y’know?

“I’ll tell them,” Blitzen pauses to quickly text then he pockets his phone, “So, since they’re checking the second floor, let’s go to the third?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

 

* * *

 

Our search didn’t really yield anything, which was disappointing. The only time Sam and Alex had messaged us was when they told us they were going to the fifth floor, the library. After that, they hadn’t messaged us for the last few minutes. I wonder how well their search was going.. Probably not too well since they’d alert us if they found anything.

“So you’ve lived in this place for the past two years, huh?” Blitzen’s voice is comforting among the creepy relics. Whenever it was cleaning time, I tend not to focus much on the things that I’m dusting. It made the job easier. Trust me, no one likes staring at some lady statue’s porcelain face while waving around a feather duster. The feather duster part is worse enough as it is.

A sigh escapes my lips, “Yup. This is home, I guess.”

“Not a very good one.” Blitzen definitely isn’t pulling any punches. As if by instinct, I rub the back of my neck, discomfort prickling at my skin.

“Sorry, kid.”

“No problem.”

The silence comes back. We look around some more and still turn up with nothing so we go up to the next floor.

The fourth floor that Alex and Sam had skipped contained two bedrooms. Every floor had some specific theme to it, as if Randolph actually took the time to group them all together. Though this floor only had bookshelves since the library upstairs was full. This was where we stored the excess books, and by excess books I mean my school books and old borrowed books.

Blitzen scans the books one by one, and chuckles when he pulls out another book, “Are these your--?”

“Where else would I put them?” I frown at the cover. Grade 8 Mathematics. It still gives me shivers just thinking about it. Luckily I had Samirah with me during that year, she always took the time to help me with the algebra and theorem concepts that would go completely over my head. Honestly, I don’t know what I’d do without her.

“In the trash?” Blitz smiles at me as he puts the book back in the shelf.

“You literally just put it back in the shelf..” I raise an eyebrow, “I think I’ll hold onto it a little while longer.” I go over to inspect the next bookshelf.

Minutes of silence later, another vague text message from Alex draws our attention.

 

_Alex: X marks the spot, right?_

Before we can ask what she means, she sends us an image. The picture was blurry but I could make out the classic white envelope on top of a big X (HOORAY!!!!!!!). Were they still in the library? That floor didn’t look like the creaky wooden floorboards that I was familiar with.

“Where are they?” I furrow my eyebrows. Blitzen relays my question to Alex.

 

_Alex: Roof deck. you never told us you had such a cool spot up here, chase. im offended!_

Blitzen and I look at each other and we take off without another word.

Ah, the roof deck. It had a nice view, accompanied by a BBQ grill, a few planters and weathered lounge chairs where Sam and Alex were currently kicking back. The two girls appeared to be absorbed in their discussion since they didn’t seem to notice me and Blitzen passing through the hatch.

“Well, you guys certainly made yourselves at home.” I noted, my shoes thudded along the concrete floor as I made my way towards the duo , “Where’s the letter?” Alex turns around so fast at the sound of my voice, I’m surprised she doesn’t get whiplash. But she does look slightly red which I’m curious about. Sam holds up the white envelope seen in the picture.

She sits up, swinging her legs off of the lounge chair, “You guys took pretty long.”

“Hey, it’s a big building.” I raise my palms in surrender.

“One you’ve been living in for the past two years.”

“Let’s just not talk about this right now.” Truth is, I couldn’t navigate to save my life. Rubbing it in my face doesn’t make me feel any better about it.

Samirah hands over the envelope but before I can open it, Blitzen calls us over.

“What is it?” I hurry over quickly.

Blitzen points at the street below, “That car wasn’t there before, was it?”

A familiar BMW was parked in front of the front door. The driver was outside, slamming the car door closed. By the grey hair and stocky figure, he could only be one person. That couldn’t have been anyone else except..

Randolph.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im curious, do you guys think blitz still being *that* suspicious about alex is ooc? im not actually sure. i should read the books again adkjlajdksajd
> 
> hope yall have a wonderful day/noon/evening!
> 
> EDIT: 50K MARK I FORGOT WOOOOOOOOOOOOO *SCREAMS* fuck thank you all for this, i probably wouldve stopped at around the third letter if you guys weren't so supportive ;w; .. thank you!!


	17. Randolph is bad at breaking news

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY 
> 
> short lol i figured that this should be a chapter of its own

I curse silently, spouting out a fountain of swear words that would’ve made Alex proud.

“We need to go.” I say, pulling Blitzen away from the edge of the roof, “Like right now.”

The urgency in my voice must’ve made it clear that I was serious because even Alex stood up without any questions. We made our way down the mansion. For a moment, it felt like an epic movie scene where I was leading them through a dark maze in all my badass glory. Except that’s all shattered when we hear Randolph’s voice down the staircase to the ground floor.

“I don’t even think Magnus is here.”

“I know it’s been too long! I just.. I just needed time, okay?”

“I’m just missing one rune..”

“I’ll tell him when I see him. I swear. But the funeral is--“

The old man halts on the steps once he sees us. I don’t even try to run because that conversation was.. intriguing.

_Funeral?_

“He’s here.” Randolph mutters into the phone in his hands and he hangs up, slipping it into his cashmere overcoat. It turns into an old-fashioned staredown between me and Randolph. His gaze wasn’t exactly hostile, more like confused, especially when his eyes seem to lock on the friends fanned out behind me.

“Magnus.” The man clenches his jaw. His hands curled around his cane like he was getting ready to whack us.

“Randolph,” I say carefully just to humor him. You could never be too sure with old men wielding wooden canes.

“Who are those?” Randolph addresses the trio behind me.

I shuffle my feet nervously, “They were just about to go. Right guys?” Thankfully, they all agree with me with incoherent mumbles and vigorous nods. Randolph wavers at my reply but amazingly, he steps to the side. Before I can even say anything, the three people behind me are gone, disappearing down the steps.

_Okay guys. I’m feeling the love. So much love is being felt right now._

Hey, at least they were safe. Hopefully they knew where to go. It would be pretty lame if I held back Randolph all this time just for them to get lost in the mansion. But judging by the _CRAAAASH!_ that follows after a few shouts, I didn’t have too much hope for them.

“I won’t ask about that.” Randolph sighs, leaning heavily against his wooden cane, “But Magnus. This is a very important question you have to answer.” _Try me, old man._

“ _Where_ is the perthro rune?” At the mention of the rune, my hand instinctively moves to my wrist.

Oh shit.

Last I checked it was with Hearthstone. And last I checked, Hearth was not with us.

Another crash makes me wince. The sound echoes through the mansion, did they get out already?

“Magnus. Please.” Randolph inhales shakily as he tried to seemingly stay calm, “I’ll ask one more time.” His heavy gaze bore into mine, the smoky gray of his eyes mirroring mine. The intensity of it makes me freeze up even more.

“ _Where_ is the perthro rune?”

“Why do you need it anyway?” I was tired of him being weird and cryptic but still some part of me yelled, _HE’S GOT A CANE!_

Randolph frowns even more, his pale eyebrows furrowing together. Then he looks down, suddenly interested in the carpeted stairs. I doubt he could see anything because it was pretty dark. Only a few rays of sunlight leaked out of the curtains, bouncing off the side of his face, making him look even more menacing.

“I should’ve told you.”

“Told me what?” Curiosity gets the best of me. What the hell could he be talking about? Whatever it was, Randolph was clearly torn about it.

The man shakes his head, “I can’t..” He trails off, “There’s nothing I can do to bring her back. A fool.”

Nervousness nips at my stomach. I suddenly don’t want to know anymore.

“ _Her?_ ”

He recoils at the question. In that moment, Randolph didn’t seem like the crazy old man that I worked him out to be. Standing in front of me was a tired man. A guy who’s been battered way too much.

“Natalie.. She’s--“ Natalie. Natalie Chase.

“My mother?” My legs felt suspiciously faint so I held on to the railing for support. I felt as tired as Randolph looked.

“Her house burned down. Nothing survived. Not even her.” Randolph swallows, and as if to rub more salt in the wound, he continues, “Sh--she’s dead, Magnus.”

 

 

Randolph never joked about anything. That’s one thing I learned from ‘living’ with him for the past two years.

 

“I thought that maybe the runes could do _something.._ ”

 

This mansion is choking me.

I need to get out.

 

“But I was a fool.. I’m sorry, Magnus.”

 

It can’t be true, can it?

 

“I am _so_ sorry.”

 

My feet force me down the stairs, rushing past Randolph who showed no signs of stopping me. The way out was hazy. I could only remember running to wherever my feet took me. They seemed to know where to go.

But my mom. That’s couldn’t be true.

She should be..

She should be alive.

Maybe they didn’t check hard enough. Maybe she was still there.

I burst out of the front door.

My friends apparently weren’t alone.

“Magnus!” Annabeth Chase stood outside, next to Randolph’s BMW. In the passenger seat was my other uncle, Frederick who was on the phone. I didn’t see them earlier. Maybe they were still in the car? Samirah, Alex and Blitzen stood by awkwardly, gazes switching from me to my cousin.

“Annabeth.” Usually I would be stoked to see her but I just wasn’t feeling it from the sudden news from earlier. It must’ve been written all over my face.

Annabeth steps forward slowly, arms twitching at her sides, “He told you didn’t he?”

“Is it true?” I really hoped it wasn’t, but Annabeth wouldn’t lie to me.

There wasn’t a lot of distance between us but it felt like forever as she walked towards me. The look on her face told me all that I needed to know.

I’m not one for physical contact but I kind of needed a hug right now so I did the natural thing, I hugged my cousin. She obviously expected it since she hugged me back right back. I always liked Annabeth. She was probably the best cousin you could ever ask for.

“When?” I asked softly. Why the hell did no one tell me?

“Days ago.” Was her reply. Her voice as soft as mine. Jesus.

And here I was, too busy with this damn letter-quest.

A tear or two dropped onto my cousin’s hair. Her blond hair smelled like zesty, like lemons, which made my heart ache more because _my_ mom had always liked lemons.

I wanted to call time-out. I wanted the world to stop for just a moment because everything was going way too fast. I wanted to hide out in my bedroom with the leaky ceiling and tattered curtains, something that felt familiar to me.

 _Finish what you started, pumpkin._ Maybe I was hallucinating a bit but I could _hear_ her.

“Sorry..” My voice was hoarse. My chest felt empty, like a dark cave that had no end.

“Don’t say that. We’re the ones who should be sorry.” Annabeth pulls away, frowning at me and brushing away a few more tears trailing down my cheeks, “You should’ve known earlier.”

I wasn’t sure if it would hurt less if they _had_ told me sooner.

 

 

* * *

 

The funeral sucked. I didn’t even have it in me to cry. I only sat in front of the coffin, thinking how it wasn’t supposed to be like this at all. I couldn’t even bring myself to look inside, afraid to see the make-up-ridden face that _wasn’t_ my mom at all. Whatever stupid clothes they dressed her up in, I didn’t want to see.

My mom and I promised to each other that if she died first, I’d have her cremated and her ashes scattered from the top of the Blue Hills.

I guess some things just don’t go your way.. but maybe I could still change that?

Annabeth kept me company. My friends were somewhere at the back of the parlor. Randolph and Frederick talked behind us.

“We’ll have her ashes in the mausoleum.”

“You’re sure about that, Randolph?”

“There’s no need to make this more complicated than it already is.”

Uncle Frederick doesn’t talk anymore, not out of fear but out of frustration. Randolph can be a pain in the ass, but who knew he actually cared about his family?

I stood up and faced the adults, “The Blue Hills. She wanted her ashes scattered.”

The two brothers looked at me, not expecting me to speak up. Randolph looks like he’s about to argue against me but luckily Annabeth follows my lead. With sharp gray eyes, she stares straight at Randolph, “It’s better to respect someone’s last wishes, Randolph.”

Randolph purses his lips, leaning against his cane.

“You already didn’t tell me about her death as soon as possible,” I step towards him, “You honestly have no reason to deny me right now.” A small fire sparked in the pit of my stomach, anguish and anger towards Randolph like he was the cause of all of this. I knew he wasn’t but this landslide of news hit me too hard.

Frederick looks at his brother like, _I told you so._ Then he looks back to me, “Magnus is right. Let’s just honor her the best we can, brother.”

“On Saturday then.” said Randolph, giving in. My stomach does a one-eighty at Randolph’s reply. Sure, I wanted to honor my mom but Saturday was.. that was the deadline. I could suddenly feel my friends’ stares from the other side of the parlor. I had to finish this first. My mom.. she’d like that, wouldn’t she?

“Sunday, we’ll do it on Sunday.” I quickly say before anyone else can, “I just have.. something to finish.” Randolph raises an eyebrow but doesn’t ask anymore, only nodding. I turn away from them and march over to my friends who’ve been sitting awkwardly in plastic chairs, clearly not expecting to wind up at a funeral parlor.

“Let’s go.” I tell them. The atmosphere of the parlor was heavy and I really needed to get out of here.

Before we can leave the dreadful place, Randolph calls out to me. Normally, I wouldn’t have stopped but something in the tone of his voice made me freeze in my steps. But maybe that was just me making the bad choices again.

“If--if you have to go somewhere, I’ll drive you there.” he says, fixing his glasses, “Anywhere. I can go.”

That’s a surprise.. Was he actually trying to make amends? As far as I know, Randolph’s never done that but I guess he realized that he did a pretty crappy move by telling me the news late. Well, making amends or not, he seemed like he was serious and I wasn’t about to turn down the offer.

Would my mom want me to give him a chance? Maybe.

All I know is that my mom would want me to go on. Natalie Chase didn’t settle for grieving or moping around, she definitely didn’t do that when my dad left. She accepted it and went on to take care of me. I _had_ to make it up to her.

“You’re serious?” 

“Why would I joke?” Randolph frowns, “You’ll have to wait a few minutes because I still need to tend to the cremation.”

“That’s fine.” I turn away and leave the parlor, my friends trailing behind me.

I needed a few minutes anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAH yall thought some intense shit was gonna go down? nope! (actually im not sure if thats intense or not but phew)
> 
> OKOK so shit turned up on its head in the fic, and i am definitely gonna have a hard time writing emotions (i hate myself for making it much more complicated and killing off nat??) originally, she was actually gonna end up missing but i said to myself "eh lets just kill her off so we can get depressing moments and a big moment of growth for maggie" (did i say too much now?)
> 
> hm also, them magics dont exist here and i dont mean to chalk randy up as a lunatic but hey, he's spent all his life on this mythology stuff. it's kind of a belief i guess
> 
> ANYWAYS i love you guys who're still reading this, i hope you have a great day/noon/evening!


	18. The Fifth Letter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY HOLD UP, I JUST READ THE BURNING MAZE AND IM--  
> if yall have read it, no spoilers in the comments pls but holy shit it's intense

It takes me a while to unfold the paper. Nobody comments about it, not even Alex. I admit, it’s kind of unnerving to have them be this quiet but who could blame them? We literally just found out that my mom is.. gone, that can make anyone uncomfortable. But some part of me didn’t like the fact that they were treating me like I’m as fragile as glass.

“You guys can talk, you know.” My voice cracks slightly as I look at them.

Samirah gazes at me, pity in her eyes, “Sorry, Magnus. It’s just that.. It’s kind of sudden, you know? And we..” She motions to Alex and Blitzen, “We don’t really know how to.. help.”

I resist a scoff. Oh trust me, I know how sudden it is.

“Oh damn it, come here.” Blitzen sniffs. He steps forward to crush me in a tight embrace. I was getting a lot of hugs today which, believe it or not, I actually appreciated. Even someone as anti-physical contact as me liked a good hug once in a while.

Blitzen rubs my back slowly, “I’m so sorry, Magnus.” He mumbles, “We’re here for you. We’ll be here for you.” Then he pulls back, his mournful yet fiery charcoal gaze locked on mine, “Just tell us what to do. Okay, kid?”

That gives me a burst of motivation, “Thanks, Blitz.” I nod. He steps back, smiling at me.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Let’s do this.

 

_ello! okay so, im not sure if im supposed to be serious writing this but fuck it. the whole point of these letters is for you to get to know me. the person who may or not be real._

_jk im real imagine if i was a ghost though_

_that would actually be pretty weird. ew gross, ghost love_

_ive seen you reading before at the library. the doorway, i think. i relate a lot to lionel there. especially after that bad ass quote he did. but then he died. which is kind of sad._

_oh well, right?_

_im actually curious. whats your favorite quote? maybe it’s some nerdy shit that id rather not know about but hey, it’s for the sake of getting to know each other. well, it wouldnt help much that im writing these in advance so i wont know what your answer is but lets ignore that tiny detail._

_what else can i talk about? hmm.. the shit i wanna do in the future? that seems relevant enough._

_i guess i want to do some standalone brand of pottery. ~~i want to surpass that stupid manufactured shit that my dad does~~ pottery’s pretty cool and i like it, as evident by the bucket list. it’s something that i am i guess. the flexibility of it all, how i can control how the clay turns out. it’s a comforting thought. it reminds me that i actually have some freaking control over some things._

_sometimes the outcome doesn’t turn out as planned and ends up being ugly as fuck but that’s life i guess._

_tldr: i just made a mindblowing metaphor for life._

_honestly i don’t know what the hell im writing about. it’s like 12 am and i don’t feel like sleeping. somehow i feel excited to do this. tomorrow i have to finish writing all of these letters then the day after, the plan is set into motion._

_convoluted and confusing is what you could call this stupid dare. of course i just couldn’t back down. damn them._

_anyways, the next hint. youre going to a bad place of mine. a friend’s dad’s place._

_drumroll please!_

_fierro ceramics (insert screaming)_

_okay okay i know that name sounds very very bad for you but ill explain in the next letter._

_good luck beantown._

_ps mallory just started referring to you as beantown and i love it._

“Fierro.. Ceramics?” I repeat slowly, looking over to Alex who’s conveniently looking at Randolph’s BMW like she was suddenly interested in the weathered silver paint. Was that her dad’s job? He did look like a business man but ceramics? It didn’t fit the asshole guy that we met in the park yesterday.

Blitzen looks equally as confused as me, “What’s that about, Alex?” The aforementioned girl still isn’t quite looking at us.

Before we could ask about it anymore, Annabeth bursts out of the funeral parlor, holding a wrinkled sheet of paper. One of the letters? Shoot, it must’ve fallen out of my pocket. I know, it’s sort of stupid to carry these around in my pocket, you’d think that I would put it in a bag or something but I didn’t.

“I think this is yours.” She says, handing it to me. If she read it, she didn’t say.  But thank whatever god was out there that she didn’t ask about it, I didn’t want anyone else to be pulled into this, “Good luck, Magnus..” Her tone was heavy but I shrugged it off, not wanting my newfound energy to waver. I thank her. Annabeth nods at my reply, her focus shifting to the people behind me like she was making sure that they were OK. That was Annabeth. She cared a lot but showed it in the subtle ways. (Not subtle enough for me though.)

Some part of me wanted to stay with her. She made me feel safe in a way, like she always knew what to do and when. Almost like my mom, except Natalie Chase was way more laidback and carefree than Annabeth. But even then.. The similarities made my heart ache.

But to ruin the moment, a wild Randolph suddenly appears, limping past my cousin and heading over to his battered car, “Let’s go.” He motions with his cane. I give Annabeth one last look before turning away.

We quietly file into the car, I take shotgun to save my friends from sitting right next to Randolph. But the downside to that was that they had to stuff themselves in the back. The ride to the parlor by the way, was not pretty. With me, Annabeth, Blitzen, Sam and Alex being sardined in the backseats. Yikes. Not something I wanted to ever experience again. You don’t fit five people into a space usually only for three people.

“Where are we headed?” Randolph asks, setting aside his cane. The car roars to life as he turns the key in the ignition. The last time I rode in this old thing was when Randolph picked me up from my mom’s place two years ago. I remember feeling as empty as I am now when I watched my mom’s apartment disappear in the brick maze of Boston. It was the last time I saw it.

After that the car was practically off-limits but it wasn’t like I couldn’t ride it in or anything. Randolph always took it with him wherever he went.

“Fierro Ceramics.” I reply, leaning against the car seat and buckling the seatbelt in. Normally I wouldn’t because I’m reckless like that but BMW drivers, you know how they are. Randolph seems to know where we’re supposed to go because he doesn’t ask about it.

And with that, we drive off.

Fierro Ceramics.. I’ve never heard of it but it sounded major; judging by Alex’s silence earlier. It definitely had to be her dad’s business. Of course, a rich asshole dad, what could be better?

We drove past Boston Common. Trees and plant life swept by, becoming only blurs of green and brown that I could barely register. For a split second, I swore I saw a glimpse of Blue Hills again. Our old camping site; the overlook with the weathered pine trees and colorful flowering bushes. Then it disappears. I sigh, closing my eyes.

 

* * *

 

“-is it, isn’t it? Magnus?” I catch only a fragment of Randolph’s words but that’s enough to get me awake.

I shoot up, pressing against my seatbelt, “Wh-“

“Yeah, it is.” Alex appears in between the seats, leaning forward to look through the windshield. Her expression was grim, dark eyebrows knitted together and lips curled into a frown. There’s a dark look in her heterochromic eyes but when her eyes meet mine they seem to soften. My heart squeezes when Alex leans away, “Let’s go.”

 My friends leave the car while Randolph and I stay put. I hadn’t even unbuckled my seatbelt yet. As much as I wanted to leave already, I _knew_ that the old man had something to say to me.

“Magnus..” Randolph clears his throat, “I’m sorry. Your mother.. I should’ve told you right away but I just thought.. those runes aren’t just ancient stones.. Their power really exists, I’m sure you’ve felt it.” His eyes trail down to my upturned wrist. I frown, pulling my tattooed wrist away.

“That stuff doesn’t exist.” I reply but I could hear the reluctance in my voice. I didn’t actually believe in that stuff, did I? The answer was nope.

The corners of Randolph’s lips twitch like a teacher’s would when you give a stupid answer to a question, “Believe what you will. Just know that.. I’m sorry, okay?” His calloused hands grip the padded steering wheel, “All those chores that you did back at the mansion.. You don’t have to do them.”

Is Randolph okay right now?

“I’m quite fine.” He gives me a stern look. Uh oh, I may have said that out loud.. “It’s about time I let go of all of this. Maybe get my job back.” At Harvard? He was a professor wasn’t he?

“And you’re just realizing this now?” I raise an eyebrow, wondering at his sudden change of heart.

“Natalie’s death.. Caroline, Emma and Aubrey..” Randolph’s voice is heavy with guilt as shakes his head, “It’s all my fault.”

His words made my skin crawl just a bit. Sure, Randolph did a lot of things wrong but I’m pretty sure those deaths weren’t his fault. Especially not my mom’s.. “It’s not your fault, Randolph.”

My uncle’s shoulders tense ever so slightly at my words like he doesn’t believe me, “Never mind that..” He looks at me,  “You should go with your friends now.”

I didn’t need to be told twice. I left the car with no hesitation.

The silver BMW drives off, disappearing into traffic. And here we were.

Time to get back on track, Magnus.

The Fierro Ceramics building was.. well, what you’d expect it to be. A high-rise office building that looked less like an office and more like a prison. It overshadowed all the other shorter buildings around it, making it look even more intimidating. Well, no matter how tall it was. It left a bad taste in my mouth just looking at it. Flashes of yesterday’s encounter with Alex’s dad stuck in my mind.

“Your dad owns this?” I asked. For some reason it didn’t surprise me as much as I thought it would, the guy definitely had a businessman feel to him.

“It’s one of many.” Alex glares at the building like it would somehow disappear if she glared hard enough. “Luckily it’s closed today.”

One of many? How much of a super mega rich a-hole is this guy? Ridiculous.

“And how are we getting inside?” asked Samirah, “Isn’t this breaking and entering into _actual_ property?” She was right, this place was legit and breaking and entering wasn’t a good idea.

“I know someone.” Alex replies, crossing her arms together. “They should’ve been here by now.”

“Well, I’m here now.” A sudden voice makes us all turn. Behind us stood a kid much younger than us. His tousled dark hair stuck up in various places like he’d just gotten out of bed. Heck, the kid was even wearing pajamas with a jacket lazily thrown over his shoulder like that would cover up the fact that he just jumped straight out of bed.

“You sure took your time.” Alex smirks, “Hey.” The creepy thing? The kid smirks back at Alex, imitating same signature smirk that she has. Come to think of it, the more I stared at him, the more he looked like Alex.

Mr. Pajama pulls at his jacket, “Let’s go in then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY SO I KNOW THIS IS SHORT but ill hold a contest of some sort.
> 
> i need a name for our new character! i really just created him on a whim, but he's got a role.  
> anyways, comment your suggestions below and maybe say the reason for why you picked that name :P
> 
> thanks for reading, have a lovely morning/noon/evening!


	19. Charlie and the Pottery Factory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (sorry I couldn't resist but sorry kyle) kyle's voice far off in the distance: IT'S OKAY! I HAVE A BIGGER ROLE ANYWAY!
> 
> oh also content warning: mentioned attempted suicide. i figured i should say that.

The mysterious new kid that popped out of nowhere turns out to be who Alex was waiting for.

“Kyle, at your service!” He replies, slightly bowing which causes his jacket to slide down his shoulder. We watch as he fumbles to put it back around his shoulders. “Pretend you guys didn’t see that.” Kyle clears his throat, turning away, “Anyways. Let’s go in shall we?”

“Who is that guy?” I raise an eyebrow at Alex who adopts a sort of fond look in her eyes as she watches the kid unlock the front doors.

“Just Kyle.” She replies, no hesitation in her quick answer. “Let’s go.” Then she disappears into the building.

He definitely didn’t seem like ‘just Kyle’ to me.

The Fierro Ceramics building turns out to be bigger in the inside, no doubt representing Mr. Fierro; when you think he’s an asshole on the outside, he’s an even bigger asshole in the inside. Okay, maybe I harbored a bit of hate for the guy. Inside was dark, the windows provided only a little bit of light since they were partially covered.

“I hope you guys don’t mind me not opening the main power. It kinda sucks to go down into the basement.” Kyle says, pulling a flashlight out of his jacket, “But I do have this.”

It was dark but I didn’t really mind. The more I saw of this place, the more oppressed it felt.

“So, Alex told me. Where do we find this ‘thing’?” inquired Kyle. Seems like Alex didn’t tell him everything given that he doesn’t know what we’re looking for. But on the other hand, we have no idea as to where the letter would be in this place. Looking just keeps getting harder and harder. None of us even have a general answer to the boy’s question.

Alex stares at a desk nearby, though the faraway look in her eyes tell me that she’s not quite focusing on the glossy oaken surface, “I think I know where to look.” She says.

Kyle lets out a _phew_ , running a hand through his fluffy dark hair that seemed to blend in with the dim lighting. His relief quickly fades away when he says, “But don’t tell me we have to go far. The elevator’s.. y’know.” Even if I was probably a lot older than him, I felt like complaining too. It was scary how I could relate to him.

The lopsided smile on Alex’s shadowed face scares me even more though. I knew exactly what the smile meant.

A few minutes later we’re on the stairwell, climbing up to the roof deck of the building.

“Is it too late to go to the basement?” Kyle promptly sits down on a step, eyeing Alex with annoyance. I couldn’t blame him. I had bad experiences with stairs.

“Yep. It was your choice.” Alex grins, flicking Kyle on the forehead and taking the flashlight from his hand. The kid lets out a _hmph,_ grabbing his jacket and tying it around his waist. This is the first time I’ve seen Alex so.. friendly with someone. Almost like a sisterly friendly.

“Remind me why we have to go to the top?” Samirah asks, sweat beading on her forehead. She must’ve felt really hot with the hijab covering her hair.

“It’s the sensible thing.” replied Alex like it was obvious. And for your information, no, it wasn’t. It isn’t sensible either but we had no choice because out of all of us, Alex is probably the most capable of finding these since she knows the writer.

But..

“What happened here?” I ask, “Why did the writer lead us here, Alex?” The green-haired girl hesitates on her next step, from this angle, I could see her Urnes Snakes tattoo on her nape. My mind flashes back to the pottery studio, the letters.

 _Change and flexibility,_ Alex’s voice echoes in my memory.

Something doesn’t add up. Not completely.

“We need to hurry up.” She says, avoiding my questions altogether. I fall back next to Sam. Surprisingly, Kyle and Blitzen were talking in hushed whispers. I wonder what they found in common with each other. Blitzen probably questioned him about his PJ’s and they hit it off pretty well.

“Are you okay?” I ask my hijab-wearing companion.

“I should be asking you that.” Sam smiles despite her weariness.

“Yeah but you first. Are you sure you’re not gonna overheat?” Because she is sweating pinballs right now.

“I can take it.”

“You’re _sure_ sure?” I just wanted to make sure.

“Yes, Magnus.” Sam looks over her shoulder, “Besides,  I can’t take it off with Kyle around.”

“Right.” I gaze at her for a few more seconds before turning away.

“How are you holding up?” Her voice is soft. Not that she was whispering or anything but it was just soft.

The tone of it reminds me of back when she tutored me about math. Somehow her patience never completely ran out but when she was exasperated her voice would go soft. She didn’t really look exasperated right now though and I doubt that she was. No, only concern was in her voice.

“As best as I can.” I reply just as soft. No need to draw attention.

We climb up a few more flights until we all give out. The closed humidity of the stairwell did not help our sweat-soaked bodies. With our given states, you’d think that we’re climbing up Mt. Everest or something but nope, just a lot of stairs.

Kyle breaks our tired silence.

“Why are you guys so quiet?” Kyle asks, curiosity evident in his tone. I guess the earlier news and the visit to the parlor still stuck with us. But even then, I didn’t really want to answer his question.

“None of your business, kiddo.” Alex waves off his question like a champ.

The corner of Kyle’s lips twitch and his dark eyes sparkle like he’s struck gold, “Well, this kiddo’s gonna inherit about fifty percent of this company that you inherit zero percent of.” He retorts in a heartbeat. Inherit?

Alex sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose, “You just had to bring that up now?”

I shifted on the steps, tilting my head, “What are you talking about?”

“You’re all pretty ill-informed.” Kyle begins, turning around to look at me. I bite back a comment, “But nonetheless, graced with my presence.”

With a grin, he fully introduces himself, "Kyle Fierro, little bro of Alex Fierro at your service.” The kid splays out his arms like he’s presenting something, coughcoughHIMSELFcoughcough. I had to say.. I actually expected some kind of twist like that so I’m not gasping in surprise.

Kyle frowns at our collective silence, “Come on, no gasps at least?”

Alex humors him by gasping dramatically with a hand over her mouth.

“Harr-harr.” Kyle sighs, “And here I thought at least one of you would be surprised.” His gaze was fixed on me, his dark brown eyes bear resemblance to Alex’s one eye, no surprise there.

“Whatever,” The kid rolls his eyes, “Let’s get moving.”

This time I find myself next to Alex who watched Kyle’s every movement like an eagle, “Would you care to explain?” I asked. I felt that it would be better to ask her than Kyle. Besides, I didn’t want the kid to get in trouble because of something he’d say.

“Which part?”

“The part where Kyle’s your brother and that he’s helping us?”

Alex shrugs, “What can I say? He’s from _him_ and technically he _is_ going to inherit fifty percent of this company because he’s a suck-up.”

“I am not a suck-up!” Kyle calls out in protest.

“Whatever you say,” A smirk lines Alex’s lips, “But yeah, we’re on good terms with each other since we didn’t inherit the asshole gene unlike the others.” She pauses as if expecting me to ask her again.

And she’s right, “Others?”

“I’ve got other siblings. I’m the oldest though.” Huh, I never really saw Alex as some older sister figure. It’s kind of weird thinking of her like that when..

_Um._

“Earth to Magnus, are you okay?” I don’t realize that I’m stuck staring at Alex until she pokes me right on the forehead. I clear my throat, embarrassed.

“Yeah, yeah.”

“You know you would’ve owned all of this if you just didn’t.. piss him off.” Kyle’s forlorn voice suddenly echoes through the stairwell.

“He’s got enough little minions.” Alex snaps, “He can survive without me doing everything he asks me to do.”

“And look where that got you.”

Silence.

“You really wasted your chance, sis.. After all that stuff Grandpa taught you, you knew what to do. What to _make_.”

Whatever he meant by that made Alex completely shut down. Stopping in her tracks, the green-haired girl’s jaw tightened. I could tell that Kyle had gone too far but I was waiting to see what Alex would do.

“Don’t talk about him.” The bitterness in Alex’s voice was so clear that my own heart twisted, “You wouldn’t know.” Kyle stays silent after that, backing off immediately at his sister’s reaction. I recalled his words, _You knew what to do. What to make._

I didn’t know much about Alex’s grandfather but it seems like he was important to her.

_You would’ve owned all this._

I wanted to ask Alex something but I’m afraid that we’ve reached the height of her patience. Damnit Kyle.

We all climb the stairs in upset silence. That is, until the lights suddenly flicker on. The hum of electricity filled the quiet as the building came to life.

“What’s happening?” Blitzen asks, immediately on the alert.

“Oh, someone just turned on the electricity. What else? Hmm..” Kyle trails off, furrowing his brows as if he’s deep in thought, “Oh! There someone’s else here!” He helpfully states the obvious.

“That’s impossible, I thought they all had the day off?!” Alex whips around, forgetting her spat with Kyle earlier. We had bigger problems.

“Well, apparently not!” replied Kyle, confusion filling his tone.

“Hey, hey!” I say, stepping in like a referee, “Shouldn’t we be going up as fast as we can? Let’s worry about who it is later.”

Then, like a scene straight out of a movie, Alex and Kyle lock eyes with each other. Their minds set on one thing.

“The elevator!”

We rushed back to the last floor we passed and made a beeline for the elevator with Kyle ahead of us. Like some miracle, the elevator was already going up before Kyle even pushes the call button.

The kid pants, hands on his knees, “Ghost elevator. Oh god.”

“Who in the hell could it be?” Alex mutters, glaring at the closed metal doors, “You didn’t tell anyone, did you?”

“I didn’t!” Kyle holds up his hands in surrender, “This is supposed to be a one-man-operation.”

“Well, apparently someone followed you.” Locks of green hair fall into Alex’s stormy dual-colored eyes.

“What are we going to do?” Blitzen asks, shuffling closer to me. Sam does the same, though she keeps a few inches between us.

“No choice but to wait and see who it is.” Kyle replies, scratching the back of his neck. A movement that Alex also does. That’s so weird.

 _Ding_! The sudden sound makes us all jump and turn to the opening elevator doors. Inside stood another kid, older than Kyle but with the same dark hair and dark eyes. I didn’t get a good look at him since I was too busy watching what Alex would do, but I could only guess that this was another of Alex’s siblings.

It’s a family reunion it looks like.

“Charlie?!” Kyle yelps, “What on earth-“

“Get in.” Charlie leaves no room for comments as he holds the doors open. We all hesitate, waiting for Alex’s next move. Currently, she was the leader of our little mission. With a heavy annoyed sigh, she walks into the elevator, her feet thudding heavily against the ground. We follow her inside.

Kyle breaks the ice almost immediately. “Charlie, why are you here?”

“Knowing you, you wouldn’t go down into the basement. I did it for you.” The guy keeps his back towards us, he leaned against the wall, head lolled to the side.

“How did you know that we were here?”

Charlie scoffs as if the answer was right in front of our faces, “The keys? Dad may seem to trust you but I don’t.”

“Well, that’s offensive.” Kyle mutters but he doesn’t seem to shaken by the comment, maybe he was used to this. “Did anyone else follow you?”

“Just me.”

Alex and Charlie made no move to converse. They seemed to ignore each other, I guess this Charlie wasn’t on good terms with her. He must’ve been one of _those_ guys. Though he didn’t seem _too_ bad to me.

“Where are we going?” Charlie asks, his voice too rough for someone his age.

“Last level.” Kyle frowns, uncomfortable with the amount of tension in this small space. I watch as Charlie presses the button for the thirtieth floor. Ugh. I don’t even want to know what floor we’re on. The fact that we would’ve climb thirty floors if it weren’t for Charlie made my knees shake. Though I wasn’t quite ready to call him my hero.

I could barely get a look of his face but from my angle he looked disturbingly like Alex. He was taller by a few inches but of course, I still found Alex more intimidating. Broad shoulders, a lean frame, a sharp face and dark hair styled to the side. He could’ve passed as some singer from a popular boy band.

 Now, if only he had an auto-tuned voice..

Floor 27..

Floor 28...

Floor 29...

Floor 30!

The doors open to an empty room, surprisingly.

“Shit.” Alex mutters, pushing past us and running towards the stairwell. We all look at each other before leaving the elevator, only Charlie’s left inside. The guy doesn’t make any move of getting out.

“You’re not coming?” I ask, curious. Now that I can see him clearly, I could almost see a carbon copy of Mr. Fierro. The same hard stare and frowning lips. Kyle was still fine since his features were more.. childish but right now, I felt like punching this dude in the face.

Charlie shakes his head, snapping me out of my thoughts, “I only came here for Kyle. Not whatever the hell _she’s_ doing.” It occurs to me that we haven’t even told Charlie and Kyle whether Alex was male or female today but they all seem to know that she’s female.

“Alright..” I trail off, not knowing what else to say. I’m halfway across the room when Charlie calls after me with a stiff _hey!_ I turn around.

“You do know what happened here right?” He asks, eyes darting around the room nervously.

“No?” Something happened here?

“Alex tried..” Charlie ends up muttering the last words, his voice fading. Then he shakes his head. He takes his hand away from the doors and they close. Leaving me to stare at my distorted reflection in the polished metal.

Alex tried what?

What did he try to say?

 

* * *

 

I caught up to my friends standing around on the roof deck. They all seemed to be looking at Alex who was leaning against the railing; the only thing separating her from a 300 foot drop. I didn’t know why, but I felt the urge to run over and pull her away from the edge.

“What’s going on?” I ask as I approach the Kyle, Samirah and Blitzen. They all shrug.

“She said something about some letter not being here..” Kyle replies, “Is that what you’re looking for?”

My blood runs cold as my heart fills with dread, “Yeah..” I mumble and plodded over to Alex.

“You don’t seem too scared now.” My joking tone falters when she turns to me. The haunted, weary look in her eyes disappears under a façade of indifference.

“Hey.” Alex looks away. The scene suddenly reminds me of last night, when we stayed on the roof under the stars. That was probably the closest I ever felt to Alex Fierro. Except today is a complete opposite, judging by her closed off demeanor.

“What’s up?” I prompted her.

Apparently Alex isn’t in the mood for beating around the bush, “The letter isn’t here.”

“You knew it would be here?”

“I’m sure. It can’t be anywhere else. But it’s goddamn gone!” I flinch as Alex smacks her hand against the rail. Why is she like this?

Before I can ask, she continues talking, “My... friend. I took he--them here once. Since they’re good at pottery, you’ve seen all those pots and vases right?” Yeah, but you’re also good at pottery, I bite back a comment, not wanting to interrupt this sudden narrative, “Well, I brought them here.. To help them? Maybe I thought I could help her improve or some shit like that but I think I only gave her an opportunity.”

“An opportunity?” _Her_ , I noted. The writer’s a girl.. Alex was finally slipping up but I didn’t want to point that out.

“A few weeks after I first brought her here, she just seemed to degrade. I don’t know why. Then one time I let her out of my sight and..” Alex falters, refocusing, “Fuck, I found her here right in this spot. And I was certain. I _knew_ that she.. She was trying to kill herself. Hell, she was halfway up this rail until I stopped her.”

Shit. Let that sink in, Magnus.

“That’s probably what was in the letter. She never came back here again. Until.. I guess to put the letter here. But that’s so fucking stupid of her.”

_Alex tried.. Alex tried to what?_

What did Charlie mean to say? Up until now, I didn’t know the writer’s gender. I didn’t know anyone else who existed in Alex’s group aside from Halfborn, Mallory, TJ and Alex herself. I’m sure I’d notice anyone else who’s close to Alex.

“It still must be around here somewhere.” I turn to her, “We need to find it.”

Alex shook her head, frowning, “I’ve looked everywhere. Nothing else.” But without the sixth letter.. We wouldn’t be able to find the seventh and eighth letter. We have no leads.

“What happens now?” I didn’t want to give up but my heart just felt too heavy. Too much has gone on today.

“We go back?” If Alex had any hope left, she didn’t show it, “I need to go practice for the play anyway and.. Yeah..” Right.. the play, Alex is a part of that. She was going to play as Loki right?

All this trouble just to lose a letter in the end. If there was a god or gods up there, they were definitely on my bad side.

I consider saying something else, to comfort Alex somehow. I didn’t like seeing her like this.

“Let’s just go, Maggie.” That nickname. The last time I heard her say it was.. back at the apartment? For some reason, I felt better about this whole thing. Alex’s spirits seem to have lifted too since she offers me the smallest of smiles when she pulls away from the railing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as if it wasnt dark enough lol oof. I JUST CANNOT RESIST???? WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME
> 
> i realize, there's not a lot of chapters left to go! gosh and to think i started this in january, it feels like a thousand years already...
> 
> but anyways, my thoughts aside, im curious. is the spacing making it a bit hard to read? im not really sure but i know i tend to space a lot of lines away from each other.  
> i hope you guys enjoyed this somehow ! good morning/noon/evening!
> 
> (EDIT! crap i forgot to mention.. regarding the lost 6th letter. do yall think i should do a sidefic about that? because im kinda planning on it)


	20. I get a falafel break

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SHORT SORRY HAHA  
> also i posted the sidefic if yall havent read yet (sorry too lazy to link)
> 
> edit: here it is because im bored [DA SITH LETTER](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14734409)

Charlie turned out to be waiting for us by the elevator. We get back down without any problems. Kyle and Charlie lock down the building while Blitzen contacted his dad. Bili drives by soon enough, picking us up outside of the building, apparently having fixed the car. After locking the front doors, Kyle and Charlie leave, but not without Kyle pulling me aside.

“Magnus.. It’s Magnus, right?” Kyle squints at me, his curly hair jut reaching his eyebrows.

“Yeah?” I reply uncertainly. What did he want with me?

“Listen, I’ve only met you today and I know I’m a lot younger than you but my sister seems to like you. You’re a chill guy so I like you too.”

I didn’t know what to say, was I supposed to feel honored or something?

“Thanks? You’re cool too.” I add. The kid did make some good company, despite his scenes with Alex.

“So, any questions?” Kyle raises an eyebrow.

I immediately seized the opportunity, “What did you mean by Alex knowing what to make?” He eyes me like I just asked the stupidest question known to man.

“You don’t know anything.. Alex does pottery, all these ceramic stuff.” He pauses, looking behind me as if to make sure Alex wasn’t there, “Our grandfather taught her how. She’s amazing at it, she would’ve been able to carry on the family business if she just.. isn’t who she is..” Alex does pottery? It actually makes sense.. When he and Sam went to the pottery studio, Alex made an almost, if not perfect, vase.

Kyle continues, “Though I doubt me inheriting all this stuff would mean anything. The quality of Fierro Ceramics has been going down. The company is facing one of its lowest lows. The chance of the business surviving is probably zero percent.”

“What’s gonna happen to you guys if it doesn’t?”

Kyle’s dark eyes shine like gemstones as if he found my question amusing, “Nothing to it. We’ll just move on and get other jobs.”

“Well, good luck with that then.” I reply, not knowing what else to say.

He chuckles, “Good luck to you too. You may be a cool guy, Magnus. But I can’t stand you and Alex anymore. Both of you are too lovey dovey for my taste.” He smirks at me one last time before turning around and running to Charlie who was watching us from a distance. I’m pretty sure my face was as red as a tomato at the kid’s words. Lovey dovey?

With a last wave from Kyle and a nod from Charlie, the two Fierro boys disappear in the Boston crowd, never to be seen again. Though I’m sure that I’ll meet them again.

But in the meantime. I had some brainstorming and detective work to do. I’ve gone on way too long without theorizing who the writer is. Maybe I could stick with Sam for the time being. She’s got way more brainpower than me and I bet that she knows a lot more people than I do.

Alex doesn’t join us in the car, instead opting to walk to wherever her destination was.

“I guess this is goodbye then.” Alex crosses her arms, looking up at me.

“That sounds kind of cheesy.” I raise an eyebrow. Alex lets out a soft chuckle, accompanied by a small sparkle in her eyes which surprises me. Then it strikes me how close we’ve gotten over a span of a few days. We’re almost acting like we’ve been friends for forever.

The green-haired girl sniffs, “Technically, we all came here for nothing now.”

“Yeah.. The sixth letter.” I sigh, I wonder what could’ve been in it.

“Hey, don’t you worry your ass off.” Alex rocks back and forth on her heels, “I think I just told you what was in that letter anyway. What else could be in there?”

Yeah.. But the hint.. Damnit.

“Anyways, are you guys coming to the play on Saturday?”

The question catches me off-guard. I never really thought of watching the play. I tend to steer away from that kind of stuff. Not that I didn’t like plays but I never went to events like those. “I’m not really sure, why?”

“Just asking.” said Alex, “I’m a pretty great actor and it’d be a shame if you missed my performance.” In case you didn’t notice, that was Alex saying _Come. To. The. Play._ Yeah, I could read between the lines like that. But there was something off with her words, I couldn’t tell what.

Well, we’ll see.” I stammer, looking away from her.

A smile temporarily lines Alex’s lips. A genuine soft smile. Though I could barely see it since I was busy staring at the pavement.

“I’m not one for pity but I know you’ll make it through this, Maggie.” She pauses, her voice almost breaking, “Your mother sounds like she’s great.” I appreciated her use for the present tense. The surprising sincerity in her voice made me feel better. Alex and I stand around for a few more seconds, silent. Then she suddenly turns way and marches off without another word.

I watched Alex’s figure fading in the Boston background then she was gone. I stood there, my feet frozen to the ground until Blitzen calls my name.

Once I got in the car, he asks if I want to go back to the mansion. But I had other plans.

“You said you had to go home, Sam?” I ask, looking at my friend. She raises an eyebrow, clearly weirded out by my question, but doesn’t ask.

“Jid and Bibi don’t seem to be _too_ mad with me ditching school and staying the night at someone else’s house.” Sam tips her head, “How about I take you out for falafel?”

I resist clasping my hands together and bowing, “Thank you, Samirah al-Abbas.”

  

* * *

 

“I’m surprised that you haven’t been wondering about who the writer is.” Samirah says, her dark brown eyes wide at my question. I could barely hear her voice from all the bustling in the food court. We sat at a table just in front of the Fadlan’s Falafel shop and the sound of sizzling fryers didn’t help my hearing or my hunger.

I stare at my plate of falafel, the smell of fried dough invading my senses. I should’ve been digging into it by now, “The thing is.. I kind of need your help with that?”

“It’s just simple deduction, Magnus.”

“I don’t magically know everyone in school.”

“Well, I don’t either.” Samirah throws her hands in the air with exasperation. Well, those are my assumptions thrown out the window.

“This is awkward then.” At least I had falafel, didn’t I?

“Yeah..” Sam trails off, her gaze faraway from mine. I could only guess that she caught another look at Amir. I clear my throat, grabbing her attention again, her cheeks red.

She fixes her hijab, “So, how do you want to approach this?”

That’s when I finally start devouring my falafel like a starved maniac, deciding that thinking is best with eating. “I don’t know.” Samirah lets out a sigh, her eyes fluttering shut as if she was in deep thought... That or she just didn’t want to see me eating. I think I prefer both causes.

Sam leans against her seat, “Listen, Magnus. There’s something I have to tell you.”

I stare intently at her, “What?” I ask, though it comes out muffled from the falafel stuffed in my mouth. You know what they say about not talking while your mouth is full. It’s gross.

“Nevermind. _Please_ finish eating first.”

I agreed with a thumbs up.

A stomach full of falafel later.

“So, what did you want to say?” I wipe at my mouth with a tissue, making sure that no remains of falafel were left. Samirah purses her lips, twisting at her hijab.

Then it comes right out of her mouth. “I’ve been lying to you.”

I jerk back, startled. “Lying about what?”

“I..” Sam trails off, biting the insides of her cheek. She’s clearly conflicted but I wanted to know whatever it is that she was lying about. Regardless of what she wanted to say, she settled on, “I made a promise.”

“A promise?” I prompt her when she takes too long to reply. It almost looks like she’s fighting an internal battle as she’s struggling to talk.

“I’m involved in this whole thing.” Sam spreads her hands as she says _the whole thing_.

No words could describe the magnitude of those words when they hit me. Yet it made too much sense. The second letter in my locker, I had covered the vents for it long ago. Only Sam knows the code to it. And all those times she was much too nervous than she should be. Plus the close interactions with Alex..

Then it turns out that Samirah knew all along. And it’s established that Alex is at least involved in the letters thing too..

If Sam was a part of this then maybe she.. “You know who it is?”

“I do.” Her voice has never been more truthful. Then she gives me a sharp look, “Of course, I can’t tell you though.” Of course, she can’t. That would ruin the ‘fun’.

 _I’m a pretty great actor._ I’m sure you are, Alex.

I nod slowly, “That’s fair.” _But I don’t think I need you to tell me anyway._ _The puzzle pieces are staring me right in the face._

Sam stares at me like she’s expecting me to say something else. When it becomes clear that I’m not, she frowns, “You’re not mad?” I knew she’d ask that.

A sigh, I look past her, not focusing on anything in particular, “To be honest? I don’t have it in me. Besides, you didn’t openly lie to me so there’s nothing for me to be mad about anyway,” A smile makes its way up to my lips, “Still surprising but..”

I look at Sam, “I think I know who it is now.”

Her eyebrows shoot up into her hairline, getting lost in her hijab, “You do?”

“I won’t tell you though.” My smile grows bigger at her startled expression. Before Sam can speak, Amir appears at our table with a paper bag that my stomach immediately identifies as more falafel.

“My dad sends his regards.” He smiles at me warmly. I eagerly stand up to take it.

“He is the best and you are the best.” I take this moment to leave, although I wasn’t so sure if leaving Sam with Amir was a good idea because by the look on her face, she looks like she’s about to spontaneously combust, “Gotta leave. Say hi to him for me.”

“Will do, Magnus. See you.” Amir nods, patting my shoulder, “Hey Samirah.” He looks to her. I don’t even hear Sam’s reply because in a second I am gone and dashing through the food court towards the doors.

I clutched my doggy bag tightly as I ran through the streets of Boston. Some part of me hoped that I was right. Actually, scratch that. All of me hoped that I was right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope this isnt confusing for yall adjalkdjlkasdsa
> 
> im pretty sure theres a reason for why these chapters are getting shorter...  
> or maybe i just cant find a way to lengthen them, who knows? (i dont)  
> ANYWAYS WE'RE GETTING CLOSER TO """"the end"""  
> im not sure how to handle this but you can bet im gonna fuckin write all my heart out.
> 
> anyways thanks for still reading, i love u guys  
> good morning/noon/evening!


	21. Late night café meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its been 63 years im ready to die  
> honestly this is just plain fluff but i love it.

Randolph was at the mansion when I came back. He must’ve worked really _really_ fast because the place looked better already. The dark feel was kind of gone, most of the artifacts that I used to dust off were gone. The rooms felt bigger without all the clutter occupying them. There were still spots that needed cleaning though.

They were at the museum, he replied when I asked about where the artifacts went. I decided to give him some of my falafel which he exchanged for a bar of chocolate he found in the kitchen. I couldn’t say no to chocolate so I took it and went off to my room. Things were changing fast and I kind of liked it.

My stomach churned as I opened the door to my room. Memories swirled through my mind like a whirlwind. Allston. My mom.. This room was the closest I could get to my old home, but I don’t think my mom would like it if I dwelled so much on the past. She certainly didn’t when my dad left. She just carried on and became the strongest woman I’ve ever known.

And now, I’ll never see her again. Let that thought sink in.

Thanks, negative thoughts. Suddenly my whole body feels way heavier than it should be and I feel like the room’s spinning. I stumble just a bit, barely catching myself on my desk.

I change into a pair of shorts and a simple t-shirt, putting away my borrowed clothes from Blitzen. But knowing him, they were probably mine now. Besides, he has that magical doorway called a closet.

The second I sat on my bed to rest, my phone buzzed with a new message.

 

_Blitz: Hey Magnus, how are you doing?_

_Blitz: Still out with Sam or at the mansion?_

_Magnus: heya, im fine. i just got back a few minutes ago_

_Magnus: whats up with you?_

_Blitz: Not much._

_Magnus: well.._

_Magnus: what about hearth?_

_Blitz: He’s okay. He’s been saving up nonstop since he woke up._

_Blitz: Do you think it’s unhealthy to be cleaning the house for 5 hours? Because heck, I do.._

_Blitz: I keep telling him, he needs to rest but right now he’s gone silent._

_Magnus: geez_

_Blitz: Yeah. Hopefully he hasn’t passed out or moved on to some other chore because I swear that guy is about to drop dead._

_Magnus: hearth’s more resilient than you think, blitz_

_Blitz: You clean for 5 hours and tell me how you feel, kid._

_Blitz: Anyways.. You sure you’re okay?_

_Magnus: why wouldn’t i be?_

_Blitz: ..._

_Blitz: I could list a thousand reasons but never mind._

_Blitz: So.. The big question._

_Blitz: What are we going to do about the letters? We still have tomorrow left._

I stare at the screen, a sudden panic washing over me. We still had two letters left to find and we have no leads for the seventh letter since the sixth one was lost.

To put it plainly, we couldn’t do anything.

 

_Magnus: i don’t know_

_Magnus: we don’t even know where to start looking_

_Blitz: Maybe we could ask the writer’s friends?_

_Blitz: Alex?_

Suddenly, it occurs to me that I’ve never told Blitzen or Hearthstone that Alex and Sam were in on this. I probably should’ve told him but for some reason, I didn’t. I tried to act oblivious because I wanted to know what his opinion was.

 

_Magnus: alex??_

_Blitz: It’s obvious, Magnus. Alex knows about all this stuff._

_Blitz: It won’t hurt to ask._

_Blitz: Plus, I don’t think she’d mind giving you a straight answer since we’re at rock bottom right now._

_Magnus: if she knew where it was, she would’ve told me before she left._

_Blitz: Or maybe she wants you to ask first._

_Blitz: Come on, kid. Don’t be shy now. You two have been closer than two peas in a pod these past few days._

_Blitz: I’ve seen how she stares at you_

_Magnus: she stares at me?_

_Blitz: Of course you wouldn’t notice_

_Blitz: Maybe she isn’t as bad as I thought, even if I’m not really familiar with her like you are._

_Magnus: hold on whats this about her staring at me_

_Blitz: You can go talk about it with her._

_Blitz: I’ll give you her number if you’re up for it._

As Blitzen went on his spiel about Alex, cold nervousness crept up my spine. Were those butterflies in my stomach? I wasn’t sure where they came from but they were very uninvited right now.

God, what the hell is happening to me?

 

_Magnus: sure why not?_

 

Safe to say, I was feeling a bit brave now.

You’d think that after getting Alex’s number, I’d chat her up almost instantly. But nooo, I left it sitting there. Because I was too chicken to actually message her.

 

_Magnus: thanks blitz_

_Blitz: No problem, kid._

_Blitz: Stay safe and.. Good luck, I guess._

Seeing that as a good bye, I turn off my phone.

And here I am, sitting alone in my room. Hey, isn’t this a nostalgic moment? It feels like I haven’t been in my room for ages. The weekend seemed like a lifetime ago. So much has changed over the course of two or three days and it’s mind-boggling to me.

Maybe it’s time to eat that falafel. At least _that_ hasn’t changed.

  

* * *

 

I’m not proud to say that I’ve spent the whole afternoon writing and deleting text messages to Alex. Then I pathetically threw my phone at my bed, groaning miserably and calling it a lost cause. I felt weird, like one of those characters that I always read about in romance novels. Yes, specifically that.

It was ridiculous, I just had to send a text. How hard could that be? The whole thing should’ve been quick and simple but my brain was just overestimating this _one_ text. I wasn’t sure why I felt like this but I just knew it had something to do with the person named Alex Fierro.

Days ago, if you told me to randomly chat up Alex , I’d feel dread and hesitation. Heck, I’d jump off a cliff before you could get me to text her. But now, the same nervousness from earlier was all I felt. I remember feeling like this once before, back in my first year of high school. It was just a small crush on someone from my class. Sam used to tease me so hard about it until it eventually passed. Hearth and Blitz only found out after.

_Huh._

I push away the thought and move over to the pile of clothing beside my bed. I pick out my worn jeans and pull the letters from the pocket. I had all but the first and second. The first was still pinned to the corkboard above my desk. The second was somewhere inside my bag..

“Magnus?” Randolph’s voice from outside my room makes me jump.

“What?” I yell, sitting up.

“I ordered pizza for dinner. It’s in the kitchen if you want some.” My uncle’s muffled voice continues, “I’m going out!” I don’t reply, instead listening to his heavy footsteps fading from my door. Dinner? It was that late already? How long had I been on my phone?

With a sigh and a grumble from my stomach, I took my phone and headed out my room.

The mansion honestly looked better as an actual house and not a glorified storage room. And I didn’t have to worry about bumping into something and breaking it. Plus, plus. Despite this, it still felt like a musty old building, lonely and depressing. The only thing missing were people and the people count here was only two. Me and Randolph, of course.

Interestingly, on the wall down the hall, the case of runes were still there. Seemingly untouched. Randolph must’ve gotten a new case for it. Why kept those? I wasn’t sure why. Perthro was still missing, that wasn’t surprising. The rune is still with Hearthstone and will probably be with him forever. That was okay. The rune on my wrist was enough.

I stare at the jet black symbol on the inside of my wrist. Perthro. A cup waiting to be filled. I felt like that now more than ever.

My phone pings again when I’m on my second slice of pizza.

 

_Unknown: Whats this about blitzen giving you my number_

_Magnus: alex??_

_Unknown: Who else could i be?_

_Magnus: ...blitz gave you my number didn’t he?_

_Alex: No duh_

_Alex: Sooo_

Alex stops texting there while I awkwardly stare at my phone. What should I say? I could imagine Alex sighing at my silence. Damnit, Magnus.

 

_Alex: I guess youre probably wondering about the seventh letter_

_Magnus: you could say that_

_Alex: Practice is done today and i am in desperate need of a coffee fix_

_Alex: The thinking cup on newbury?_

My thumb hovers over the keyboard as I reread her messages. Each word being processed at a snail’s pace. Unfortunately, my actions are faster than my thoughts.

But then again.. How could I say no?

 

_Magnus: sure_

_Alex: Great_

_Alex: See ya_

Well.. That’s my evening sorted out. Kind of.

I stuff one more slice into my mouth and run back to my room to put on a pair of jeans.

 

* * *

 

The Thinking Cup wasn’t far from the Chase Mansion but it was still quite a walk I didn’t want to do. But hey, I was meeting with Alex Fierro. Alone. I don’t know why that thought made me so weirdly pleased and anxious.

I pass under a streetlight. Cars drove by, their headlights occasionally blinding me. I knew it wasn’t personal though. It wasn’t too far now.

Cold air nips at my lungs with every breath I take. Would it snow this year? I hope not. I’d miss the warmth of sunshine on my skin and I didn’t exactly like wearing heavy coats. Sure they provided a cozy kind of warmth but there was something unnatural about it. Eh.

The café appears ahead, shining like a beacon in the amber-lit darkness. Tables with umbrellas sat outside, devoid of people. As I entered, I see Alex at the far end of the room, poking her head up. She waves me over, a slight smile on her face.

“Late.” She clicks her tongue when I slide into a seat across from her. Her wild green hair was held back by colorful snap hairclips that all seemed to be on the verge of falling off. Beside her was a backpack. Her backpack, there was no other bag at school that had those many trinkets hanging on it. Not to mention the middle finger button pin on the side.

“Well, I had to walk.” I sniff, my gaze back to Alex. In front of her was a steaming mug, “No coffee for me?”

She grins, tipping her head to one side, “I’m not exactly in a great financial state, Maggie. Buy your own.” About that. I didn’t really bring any money.

I clear my throat, “How was practice?”

“Nothing really. I’m always either tied up or standing still in my scenes.” Alex frowns, her heterochromic eyes gazing upwards as if she was thinking, “But I have a shit ton of lines to memorize that I’ll probably ad lib instead. I hate memorizing. Especially when the lines feel so forced.”

“Tied up? Sounds painful.”

“It’s annoying,” She sighs, sitting up straight, “I’ll give a rundown of Loki to make it easier.” Then she starts to talk about Loki’s backstory that I really tried to listen to but I just kept going in and out of focus as I watched Alex while she talked about giants and mistletoe.

“So, in the end. He got chained up with some entrails of his son and shit. And that’s why I’m tied up most of the time.” Alex narrows her eyes, looking away, “There’s also like this snake thing that’s supposed to hang over me but I’m not sure if that’s still included.”

“That sucks.” I widen my eyes, shaking myself from my daze. Alex looks back at me, an amused expression on her face.

“You weren’t listening at all.” She shakes her head, sipping from her mug.

Flustered, I lean away from her, “Uh--well, I--I swear I understood the gist of it?” Alex throws her hands up into the air, exasperated. Though her eyes shone with mirth in the white light. Her dark brown eye looked brighter than it should’ve been while her amber one was vibrant. Mismatched but still, it suited her. A faint smile lined her lips.

“Whatever,” She shrugs, “So, about the seventh letter.”

“The seventh letter.” I repeat, nodding.

Alex shifts in her seat, “I think you’ll find it on your own. All of you should just get back to school tomorrow.” Alex suggesting us to go to school? That’s definitely weird.

I tilt my head questioningly as if the word was alien to me, “School? What’s school?”

Alex snorts, “Fuck off, Maggie. I’m just saying that there’s nothing to do tomorrow.” Her voice lacked the sort of venom that would usually go with her curses. She sounded almost playful.

“You really think that I’m gonna find the seventh letter on my own?”

“Why not?”

“That’s a lot to hope for.” I sucked at finding things.

“You’re not _stupid_ , right?” The green-haired girl leans back, “Ok. How about this? I am _sure_ that you’ll find it on your own.”

“Thanks, because that makes me feel a whole lot more confident.” I roll my eyes.

“Hey, don’t you sass me or I will sass you right back.”

The threat was terrifying to say the least, I hold up my hands, “Okay, okay. I’ll find it on my own.”

“Good.” Alex then pulls a red pin out of her hair, glaring at it as if it had offended her. Knowing Alex, it probably did. She clips it back into her hair. The green dye seemed to be fading, slowly showing the dark brown curls beneath. It was obvious in the soft light that gave Alex a ghostly kind of look.

I smile a bit, “I don’t think those clips are doing anything.”

Alex surprisingly chuckles, “No shit. I just borrowed all these from a friend during practice and they are complete crap.”

Should I tell her what Sam told me? No, it would probably get her in big trouble since she _did_ promise. Promise to who though? Alex? Looking at her now, she didn’t seem like the type of person who’d like _like_ me. But then there’s my feelings that are completely fucked over by her.

“And you’re still using them?”

“I’ve got nothing else.” Alex shrugs, “And they make me look cooler.”

“Cooler?” I ask jokingly. I probably should’ve left when we finished our discussion about the letter but I felt too comfortable here. It felt like talking to an dear old friend that I hadn’t seen in forever.

We both fall silent. The front door bell rings, someone enters.

Alex soon finishes her coffee, setting her mug aside. She didn’t make any move to leave either which I found as strange. It was a comfortable silence nonetheless, Alex must’ve felt that too because she just folds her arms on the table and lays her head down.

Meanwhile I just sat there, leaning against my chair and staring at her green mess of hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi all you lovely people!!!!!! thanks for still reading and i love you all  
> i hope yall have a great morning/noon/evening!!
> 
> ps: i like to think that at the end, alex is grinning like a maniac and thats why she hides her face


	22. Back to school (again?? oh hey theres also the seventh letter)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YALL IM SO SORRY THIS IS SO SHORT AND ITS BEEN 63 YEARS I KNOW

We stayed there for about an hour or so before leaving. She ended up buying me a muffin because of my “sad puppy dog eyes” which I was totally not doing. Then we talked about random things about each other. I wasn’t one for sharing personal stories but hell, if Alex was doing it, I’d do it. I listened when she recounted several memories with Mallory, Halfborn and TJ. Sometimes she mentioned the ‘writer’ but that’s when her voice was sort of shaky. I didn’t bring it up but I still took note of it.

Alex was halfway through a rant when her phone started ringing in the bowels of her bag. I watch as she lets out an irritated sigh and digs her phone out.

“Mallory? Ah, yeah. Just went out for a coffee. I’ll be home soon.” Alex looks pointedly at you, like it’s your fault that she’s not home right now, “Yeah, yeah..” Suddenly she purses her lips, looking away from you, “I--no. Tell Halfborn that pudding is mine, if he eats it he’s gonna get another thing coming. Yeah, yeah, I’m going. Bye.”

The look Alex gives me tells me that she needs to go ASAP and not only because of the pudding.

“Well you heard the conversation.” Alex says, shifting out of her seat and tugging her bag along, “I gotta go.”

“I--alright..” I bite my tongue for a split second, “I’ll go with you.”

A frown lines Alex’s lips, “Go with me.. back to the apartment?” Confusion clear in her voice.

“N-no, no!” I hold up my hands, “I mean like, go.. l-leave the café with you and go our separate ways?” Alex’s expression morphs into one of amusement at my stuttering.

“Sure, why not?” She smiles a bit as she shrugs on her backpack.

I follow Alex out the café. From her stature, she looked like a hitchhiker, complete with dark brown boots. Hitchhiker. I felt that the term suited her.

“So,” I began, walking along the gutter, “You live with Mallory?”

“And Halfborn and TJ. Yeah.” Alex nods, “Usually I pay my share of rent but I but I guess that’s not happening anytime soon.”

“Oh,” I glance at her to gauge her expression, “Because of the--“

Alex’s jaw tightens and her laidback demeanor quickly fades, “Yeah. That.” She cuts me off. But I don’t stop there.

“You really aren’t bothered by your father disowning you?” I raise an eyebrow, mirroring Alex’s frown, “Sure, he isn’t a nice guy but I mean, are you sure you’re okay with it?”

That question makes Alex stop in her tracks and turn to me.

“You know what, Magnus?” She sighs, her voice missing the venom that you’d expect those words to have, “I only put up with him for this long because all I ever needed was his money.” The way Alex moved her hands while speaking reminded me of Hearthstone talking in ASL, except with less meaning and more spoken words, “I’m okay, alright? The concern is touching and mushy and stuff but I’m fine.”

I stare at her for a little while before looking away and muttering an “okay.” Alex resumes her pace, walking a few steps ahead of me.

A car passes by, the headlights casting shadows in front of us. The silence stays until we reach the next intersection.

“Well, this is my stop. You?” Alex looks at me, hair ruffled and eyes glowing under the amber streetlight. She looked..

Amazing? Breathtaking? Beautiful?

Wait.. No. Something was off. _Uncomfortable_ was what Alex looked like.

“You..” I stammer, “You’re...” Alex looks equally as mystified as I feel. It’s like I had looked away for a split second and my whole world had turned inside-out.

I forced my next words out carefully, “You’re male right now, aren’t you?”

Slowly, Alex reaches up and plucks a clip from _his_ hair. He lets out a chuckle of disbelief. “How could you?..” He shakes his head, “Fuckin’ shit, Maggie. Don’t pull that crap on me.”

“But you are, aren’t you?” I press on, staring hard at Alex’s face as if I would magically figure out how I knew that he was currently male without informing me.

Alex purses his lips like he almost doesn’t want to tell me. “I don’t know how the hell you know but I’m.. male. He or him.” Wow.

“Okay, stop gawking, Mango.” Alex scowls but not with his normal intensity. Well, the nickname takes the intimidation part out of it. “As for your sudden super power, well..” A ghost of a smile twitches at his lips, “You’ll have to convince me a bit more.”

Then he leans away. I hadn’t even realized that Alex was _this_ close. “School’s the agenda for tomorrow, okay?” He pauses, looking down at the clip in his hand, “Just so I make sure that I’m not too much of a bad influence on you. Bring this to me tomorrow.”

I automatically hold out my hand and he drops the clip into my palm.

“See you then.” Alex grins.

 

* * *

  

_BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BE-_

Alarm, please not now. Urgh.

Hold on a second..

I sit straight up, my eyes wide open. Even with the curtains in the way, outside seemed brighter than usual. I move over to reach the vibrating phone on my desk but I feel something else on the phone.

When I take it to look at it, it’s a red clip. Why would I?.. Suddenly, Alex’s words echo in my mind. A fast replay of last night plays in my head. Right.. I have to bring this to.. him? Her? I’m not sure what gender Alex was right now so I just settled on _Alex_.

Now, what the heck is the time..?

Oh shit. I’m late.

I don’t know how I can describe how fast I got ready. I just took a five-minute shower, got into some monotone clothes and grabbed my bag. Rushing downstairs to eat breakfast, I run into Randolph who’s hobbling around on his cane.

“What the--“ The old man narrows his eyes, “You’re going to school? Now?”

“Yes and..” I try for a smile, “Can you drive me there?”

“I think you should stay put and rest, Magnus.” Randolph scowls. I guess he cares about people in his own special way.

“Look,” I raise a hand up to my chest, “I’m flattered that you want me to rest but I _really_ need to get to school.” My uncle stares at me for a few more seconds before shaking his head.

“Let me get my keys.”

Sweet.

Now, I swear I didn’t tell Randolph to drive fast but we were zipping in the streets, avoiding the traffic and almost running over pedestrians. I made sure to have my seatbelt on because he didn’t waste any time getting to the high school. Randolph really knew all the shortcuts and whatnot because I was at my school in just a couple of minutes when it took me like fifteen to twenty minutes to walk there. (but maybe it’s because cars are just really fast and I walk incredibly slow)

“Um, thanks?” I mutter as we pull up into the school driveway.

Randolph only stares at me and I immediately take my leave.

Thankfully I wasn’t too late, only missing a few minutes of homeroom. I do the usual late stuff and get to my chair. Alex is sitting at the back, no surprise there. For a split second, our eyes meet and nervousness jabs me in the stomach. I don’t know why I’ve been feeling like that lately but I still can’t get used to it.

I was suddenly aware of the clip in my pocket. I had to give that to her. ‘Her’ because Alex had the button pin saying _SHE/HER_ back on her outfit. I almost forgot that she had that since I haven’t seen it at all the past few days.

Homeroom flies by and it’s our first subject. Why is time going so slow? Argh..

Right. Hold your metaphorical horses, Magnus. Get your notebook first and..

Hold on.. What is this envelope...

Oh.

_Oh._

It’s the..

It’s the seventh letter. But how could they have put it in my bag?

Oh, of course. Yesterday, I told them not to go into my room and they did.

Sam and Alex snuck into my room and--no wonder Alex was so confident that I’d find it. It was right in my bag. I couldn’t have missed that but I would’ve if I hadn’t gone to school..

Damnit, it’s all planned out.

Then that meant that it was definitely her, right?..

I kept fidgeting in my seat until recess. _Finally_.

A part of me wanted to approach Alex who seemed to be staring expectantly at me from across the room but I think my heart would _explode_ right now if I went a few feet near her. So I just took my bag and rushed to the cafeteria to meet up with my friends.

Sadly, there was no blond to wave me over this time. Hearthstone was nowhere to be found. Instead Blitzen caught my eye among the sea of students.

“Where’s Hearth?” I sat down at the table.

“Absent.” Blitzen sighs, shaking his head like a disappointed parent, “I told him to rest, but of course he wouldn’t listen.” I would make a terrible joke about that last sentence but I’m not that horrible of a person. (At least I don’t think so)

“That’s Hearth for you.” I sigh, slinging my bag onto the table, “But I’ve got news for you guys.”

Blitzen leans forward, eyes glinting in the dingy cafeteria lighting, “You found the seventh letter?”

“Bingo.” I wave the plain envelope around. There also seemed to be something else in it but I haven’t opened it yet. From across the table, Sam gives me a knowing look and I give her a knowing look right back.

We lean across the table and careful open the envelope that’s glued shut. Inside was the letter and four.. tickets to the play? I glance up at Blitzen to see if he has anything to say but he only purses his lips. Okay.

Let’s see what the heck is in this letter...

 

_oh hey, magnus found this letter that was probably somewhere obvious._

_okay, so you’ve seen the tickets. i think you can figure out what you’re supposed to do next. whether im a part of the play or not, i wont tell you because its supposed to be a **surprise**!!_

_though ill tell you something else. i hate acting. people almost always become someone other than themselves. maybe they forget themselves? i don’t know. my friend alex acts. i think shes started changing already. but shes a good actress. for the most part._

_listen i don’t know how im gonna handle the eighth letter. the plans come to a stop for a while. but im not good with plans so ill just have to improvise when it comes to it._

_in the meantime. ill give you a few more hints as to who i am._

_were almost always in the same classroom. you don’t like talking to me. ive a relative whos really close to you. is that enough? it should be enough. heck maybe you could guess by now. but hey, you wouldn’t ~~except~~ expect ME to be the writer, right?_

_youre smart enough to find me out by the eighth letter. well, i guess that depends on what i do during your little scavenger hunt.._

_hey, since i don’t have anything else to write. im bad at feelings but.. shit i cant even say this when im WRITING. ok, ive got a big ass crush on you and fuck me for having it. sometimes i really hate you for being so cute most of the time_

_magnus chase. i do not know what to do with you._

_im literally pretty nervous_

Well that was short.

“So we’re supposed to go to the play?” Blitzen picks up a ticket, examining it, “I wasn’t really planning to watch it but I’ll do it for you, Magnus.”

“Thanks Blitz.” Then I look to Samirah who’s nibbling at her biscuits.

“Me too.” She says matter-of-factly as if that was obvious. To be honest, it probably was but I liked to make sure.

Looks like we’re going to the play tomorrow then..

Yaddah, yaddah, yaddah. More subjects. School. I forgot that school had existed, the last few days have been wild and to be honest I was kind of missing driving around Boston and following this letter trail. I never felt more alive during that scavenger hunt.  It was like a breath of fresh air. But all things come to an end, I guess.

I approach Alex Fierro during lunch break. As usual, she was with Halfborn, Mallory and TJ. And here I was hoping she’d be alone because giving someone a clip is _totally_ not awkward, especially when you’re me.

“-I swear if you call Odin down on me again, Fierro.” Halfborn crosses his arms, seemingly pouting under that monster of a beard.

“Well you had it coming, Gunderson.” Alex crosses her arms to match Halfborn. It was like a standoff except Alex was a lot shorter than Halfborn. But that didn’t make her any less scary. Halfborn huffs and goes back to reading his English school book. TJ sighs in relief while Mallory just snorts. That was kind of anti-climactic.

Unfortunately, Mallory spots me, “Hey, Magnus.” She says casually and all three heads turn to me. Right, okay. Thanks, Mallory.

“Err.. Hey.” I clear my throat, “A-Alex?” My face felt like it was on fire. The aforementioned teenager raises an eyebrow, a slight smirk on her lips. I hate this. The worst part? Alex looked _smug._

I held out my closed fist, “The clip.”

“Oh, yeah.” The corner of Alex’s lips twitches. She stands up and walks over to me, “Glad you didn’t forget about that. I was gonna be one clip in debt.”

“Right.” I drop the clip into her hand. “The letter--“

There’s a sudden gleam in her two-toned eyes, “You found it, didn’t you?”

“Yup.” I confirm, popping the _p_.

We awkwardly stand there, staring at each other. The intimacy we had felt last night forgotten just because we were around other people. It was like we had a little secret that only the both of us knew.

Alex clears her throat, “I told you you’d find it. Have faith in yourself, Magpie.” Then she pats my chest and saunters away, going back to her friends. And just like that the hair clip issue is over. Easy-peasy. Time to leave before I hyperventilate.

That was my only interaction with Alex as the day progressed, save for a sassy remark she said when I was reading out loud for English class. I also had this itch to look behind me and glance at Alex from time to time. But I made it a point to _not_ do that because it was creepy.

After school, she just disappeared. Well, that’s that.. I guess. Maybe Alex was just at play practice.

Of course, I could’ve just texted her if I wanted to talk but hey.. Nope.

The day only went on normally and by normally, I mean boringly. It was a sudden change from the past few days and I didn’t really know what to think of it. 

All I knew is that I couldn’t wait for tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have a confession to make. ive been lazy. ive been held up with some stuff and i just didnt have the motivation to do anything but thankfully i managed to write this chapter. plS dont hate me.. i love u guys if youve waited this long and been this patient ..
> 
> thank you so much and have a great day/noon/evening..
> 
> PS: yall have got to listen to when youre ready by shawn mendes and tell me to my face that its not fierrochase  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sf9ZR6Dz0Lk


	23. We watch a play about may-or-may-not-be-real book series, also, Alex is the villain (why am I not surprised?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY YOU CAN WHACK ME, IM DEAD HAHAHA

Saturday.

This is it. Today is the day that all of this would end.

We’ve gotten all the letters except the sixth.. Was that okay? I mean, maybe what Alex said on the roof that day was true and was actually in the letters but that would mean that she.. Geez.. Never mind that for now..

On the ticket it said that we were scheduled for the night performance. Apparently there were two showings, one in the afternoon and one in the night. I guess, the night performance _did_ sound pretty atmospheric and.. perfect for a dramatic reveal.

Great.

I spent the day rereading the letters, with the occasional texts from Samirah, Blitzen and Hearthstone (thankfully). Alex never sent me a text and I never racked up the courage to text her. She’s probably busy readying up for the play anyway so I shouldn’t really bother her..

Could she really be the writer? If so, she’s spent at least a good two years keeping this a secret and that’s.. a really long time. If Alex really did like me.. why did she do all these pranks and bad stuff to me? It seems so weird.

I sigh, folding up the seventh letter and putting it aside, instead examining the play tickets more.

On the small thick paper was written “Casper Garrus and the Axe of Winter”.. Casper Garrus? Isn’t Garrus a character from Mass Effect or something? Also, who has a name like _Casper Garrus?_ Maybe it’s better not to ask.

The guy presumably Casper Garrus was vaguely familiar, maybe an occasional glimpse in the hallways or at the cafeteria but I definitely didn’t know who he was. He was posed in the center of a line of characters, chest puffed out and holding a war axe with several Nordic runes carved into the blade. Though despite all this, he looked like a scruffy teenager that hasn’t had a bath in weeks.

I recognized a few more people on the ticket but the person who stood out most as Alex who was posed above all the characters with her hands spread and a devilish look on her face like an evil puppeteer. I absolutely _love_ that.

I fell onto my bed, wondering how Alex was doing now. Actually, she was probably doing the first show of the play right now..

Eh.

The day passed me by. I skipped lunch not having an appetite. Randolph left the mansion, going off to who-knows-where while I stayed in my room all afternoon. Well, to be honest, I just slept the afternoon off.

Orange rays of sunlight leaked through my curtains by the time I woke up. I finally take a breather and get my shit together. Blitzen and co. will probably pick me up soon. The play started at 7 PM which didn’t seem too late. But it definitely felt like the perfect time to end all this.

This.. The shocking reality of it all makes me pause.

Today, this was ending. There’s one more letter left and I’ll finally see who the writer is. And hell, I hoped I was right. The possibility of me being right made my stomach churn. But was it a good churn or a bad churn? That I wasn’t too sure. All I knew is that if it was Alex.. God.. I didn’t know what I’d do to be honest. My feelings were still conflicted on that.

 Blitzen and co. come by minutes after 6 PM. I noticed Hearthstone in the shotgun seat.

 _You. A sight for sore eyes._ I smile, signing at Hearth. He replies with a smile and motions for me to get in the car. I looked back at the mansion, I hadn’t turned off any of the lights but that didn’t matter anyway. We left the mansion behind and set out for the school, stopping by a drive-through since I haven’t eaten anything and my head was aching with hunger.

“So,” I say, chewing a piece of my very amazing, very juicy burger. Admittedly, I was tired of pizza. You might say, but Magnus! How could you be tired of pizza? Truthfully, I don’t know.

 _Letter?_ Hearthstone asks with a curious look in his stormy grey eyes. Ah yeah.

I ask how he’s been while I take the letter out of my jacket pocket. Good thing I remembered to bring it. Actually, I brought all of the letters with me. I don’t really know why but for cheesy reasons.

 _Been fine._ He replies nonchalantly. I guess he didn’t have much to say. I didn’t either based on his reply but Blitzen suddenly clears his throat. Here we go.

“As far as I remember, you kept saying how you wanted to sleep and I told you to. But you wouldn’t sleep for some ridiculous reason!” Blitz sighs, shaking his head.

Hearthstone suddenly starts to sign rapidly, his jaw clenched tightly.

“Ok, I’ll just put this here..” I place the letter in the space between the seats, careful to make sure that it stays here and doesn’t fall into the void where French fries always disappear. I didn’t really have the French fry issue but I heard that it was really bad.

The atmosphere in the car isn’t as easygoing as I thought for the rest of the trip to the school. We get there about minutes before 7 PM and there already seems to be a bunch of people around.

“We’ll save some seats, you two do whatever you like.” Blitzen glances at the rearview mirror, meeting my eyes. I could tell that he and Hearthstone were going to have a very long talk. Though I don’t think it’d last that long since Blitzen always had a soft spot for him.

“Right, sure. We’re going.” I share a look with Samirah and we exit out of our respective sides. I finish off the last of my burger and stuff it in the car door container. I also make sure to leave two tickets along with the seventh letter.

“You think they’re gonna be alright?” I ask her as we pass by the front gates of the school. Heimdall’s sitting there at his table, concentrated on his phone. We get by him with no problem. Head of security, my ass. I’ve always seen him on the phone or chatting with other school staff. Though somehow, he always seems to know what’s happening. Like he has some third eye or something. We entered the campus, not a lot of lights were on like you’d expect since people were supposed to come this late. So it turned out to be darker than I wanted it to be. Look, I’m not afraid of the dark but it’s still bad, and I didn’t exactly feel safe with Heimdall on duty.

“Blitzen and Hearthstone? I’m pretty sure they’re gonna be alright.” Samirah gives me a weird look, not a sign of worry on her face, “Why?” I open my mouth only to be met by Sam’s raised eyebrow. I purse my lips.

I really had nothing to be worried about.. Blitzen’s always been like that.

I look away, “Never mind.”

“Also, can I have my ticket now?”

“Sure, yeah..” I spend a few seconds to pull it out of my pocket then I hand it over to her.

At this point, I was just following Sam. I didn’t know where she was taking me but I guess I had no choice. The school hallways were bathed in dim light, we passed the science lab then Sam stops at the Arts and Crafts room, aka. The death of my creativity. Before I could ask Sam why she’s stopped here, she knocks on the door and it swings open a few seconds later. A familiar face pops up in the empty space, it was that Casper Garrus dude from the ticket.

“Hey Axel,” Samirah greets in a hushed whisper, “Can we see Alex?”

 _Axel’s_ eyebrows shoot up, “Fierro?” Then he looks at me, “Huh. Magnus Chase. I heard you vandalized Odin’s office.. Is that true?”

“Well..” I hesitate, “Y-yeah? Well, with a couple of friends.”

Axel shrugs like it was nothing, “Come in. He told me that you guys would come by.

“She--I mean, he did?” I ask, maybe Sam and Alex were more in cahoots with each other than I thought. Axle doesn’t reply, instead disappearing from the door.

So much for answers then.

I walk into the Arts and Crafts room with Samirah behind me. By the looks of things, they made it to be the props and dressing room. Lots of bags were strewn about everywhere, plastic swords littered the floor and people were _busy_.

And that’s when I saw Alex. In the far side of the room, his green hair was almost impossible to miss. He stood there, laughing with fellow actors and actresses. My heartbeat quickens just a bit at the sight of him. I almost wanted to turn around and leave but I braced myself. Keep it cool, Magnus.

I don’t know if it’s because he saw the door open or he just knew but Alex suddenly looked over to me. My stomach aches with the familiar nervousness as our eyes meet. He talks to his friends and walks over to me and Samirah.

“Hey! You guys came.” Alex coughs, “Err, of course.” It’s only at this distance do I notice the “scars” on his face. Was that makeup?

“Well, someone put the tickets and the letter in my bag so..” I shrug, trying for a nonchalant look, “You know.” Alex nods thoughtfully, his eyes darting to Sam who’s stood behind me.

“Oh, you know what. I think I forgot something back at the car.” Sam out-of-nowhere starts waving about, exaggeration heavy in her tone. She wasn’t even trying to be realistic about this. “I’m gonna go get it. See you, Magnus.”

If I weren’t here, I had the feeling that Alex would facepalm so hard, his hand would go through his face. I couldn’t blame him as he glares at the retreating Samirah.

“So.” Was it me or did the room suddenly become quieter?

“So.” Alex agrees, unsure of what to say, despite his normal sassy self.

“How was the first showing?”

Alex crosses his arms, smiling, “Went off without a hitch.”

“Only the best from Alex Fierro.” I imitated his small smile and his only grows wider, almost into a grin.

My heart skips a beat. “So, what’s with the makeup?” I gestured to my face.

A look of confusion flits across Alex’s face until he brightens up, “Oh, for the play, y’know. Gotta look like some fuckin’ guy out of a horror movie.”

“Hey Alex, we should rehearse a few parts again!” Somebody suddenly calls from behind. Annoyance flickers across Alex’s face and he closes his eyes. He replies back, telling that he’ll be there in a second.

I raise an eyebrow, “I think you should rehearse.”

Alex opens his eyes, the familiar amber and coffee brown colors staring at me. “Me?” He says incredulously, “Rehearse? What the hell does that mean?” Har-har.

“I’m pretty sure you’ve been rehearsing since yesterday’s yesterday. So.”

“Okay!” Alex raises his palms, cracking a smile so wide that his teeth are showing, “But I’ll have you know I’m adlibbing most of my lines.”

“Why am I not surprised?”

Our conversations rolls to a stop there, we have one of those quiet, comforting moments for a few seconds before Alex looks away. “I should be going then. If you want me to rehearse so badly.” Though he does something weird, he just stays there in front of me, seemingly struggling to say something but he doesn’t. Just like he did ages ago, in the rain when we were so close to each other.

Disappointment nips at me as I watch Alex turn and march over to his buddies. I better see if Blitzen and Hearthstone got seats yet. Who knows where Sam went after she randomly abandoned me like that. I had a bone to pick with her, but not right now. I manage to find my way to the auditorium, we only went here for some of Odin’s inspirational meetings when he felt like we needed some motivation. Though I admit, with every meeting that was held, I could feel myself slowly degrading with every word Odin spoke. As you can tell, I wasn’t one for motivational speaking.

Somebody asks for my ticket as I enter the hollow auditorium. Several people were already sitting and chatting, their cacophony of voices echoing throughout the hall. After handing in my ticket, I move over to the balcony to look for Hearth’s telltale pale  blond hair. I spot him easily, along with Blitzen and a familiar green hijab. Gee, I wonder who that is.

Though before I join my friends, I scan the other parts of the auditorium. A few of the school staff were here, Odin and Thor included. _Oh no._ Odin wasn’t at school yesterday and he didn’t really call for me either. Luckily our seats were well far away from the school principal. Thank god for that.

We didn’t do much except sit around, waiting for the play to start. I always kept glancing at Odin who luckily never seemed to look my way.

It wasn’t long til the play started. Surprisingly, it was just a few minutes before 7 PM. I guess they felt like rushing it.  Who knows?

Two people walk onto the stage, stopping in front of the microphone stand at the center.

“Fellow classmates and beloved school staff! We’re all honored that you’re watching our night show. But I think we’ve waited long enough!” The person on the right says in a comical announcer voice. Their ridiculously ‘deep’ voice blasting from the speakers

The other person steps forward, joining in with the first, “We present to you, Casper Garrus and the Axe of Winter!” The audience politely claps, some whoop and whistle. Meanwhile I just can’t wait for a certain someone to show up onstage.

The play starts with opening narration, because why not? It was that Casper character, saying stuff about being homeless and being addicted to falafel. Great. This is our protagonist, guys. He goes on about this crazy aunt that’s been looking for him a few years, Then suddenly the aunt appears out of nowhere, saying that he has to find the Axe of Winter because it was his birthright. So, everything confusing now and this random fire giant dude appears and kills Casper and now he’s dead.

I had to say, they were pretty blunt there. An interesting storyline _and_ a dead protagonist. What could be better?

And.. there he is. There’s Alex goddamn Fierro. He wasn’t kidding when he said he’d adlib it. Alex was dominating the stage with his completely out-of-place but amazing dialogue. Then it turns out that he’s the typical villain in the play. Well, at least his acting is great and he totally fucking _nails_ it.

Sadly we didn’t really get that much Alex action at all, but his scenes were definitely the highlight of my night.

“I’d never join you.” Dream Casper frowns, staring straight at Loki.

Loki sneers, “Suit yourself, we have falafel here in the dark side.. Oh and cookies too, I guess.” His facial scars making him look even more menacing.

“Tempting me with food? That’s the last straw!” Casper says, lunging forward to pummel the God of Mischief but Alex just steps back, smirking. Holy god that smirk.

With a snap of his fingers, the stage lights turn off and they flicker open with Casper ‘waking up’ from his dream.

Ok, maybe I was fanboying a little too hard.. Cough, wait, who said anything about fanboying? Not me.

“Fenris Wolf, you will never be able to get out of your bonds, not on my watch!” said Casper, wielding his glowing Axe who we all collectively named Jack. Casper just asked us what name we want the Axe to have and he just picked out a name from the crowd.

“You’re a fool to say that.” Fenris grins as the Axe suddenly pulls away from Casper’s grasp, floating over to the wolf who laughs in delight. At this part, I had to admit, my eyes were glued to the stage. (HOW ARE THEY GETTING THE AXE TO FLOAT LIKE THAT??) Whoever was under that wolf costume had it pretty bad but their voice acting + acting was great.

We all watched with bated breath the intense fight that ensues onstage. Of course, with the power of plot armor, Casper and his friends survive. Fenris Wolf was bound again (the poor guy literally had to get tied up) and the Axe of Winter was back with its current rightful owner and chilling out in Valhalla.

Alex had one more scene before the end, with the crazy, not-crazy aunt in front of him.

“Your nephew’s much harder to persuade than I thought.” Loki scowls, “But none of that nonsenses anymore. It’s time for me.. to be free.”

Aunt Rose doesn’t reply, instead only turning to Loki, an burnt imprint of a handprint on her cheek.

“Oh, we’ll have so much fun.” Loki coos, his features tight with a sick malice, “Unless, you disobey me again.”

And the lights dim.

I don’t know why but everyone gave a standing ovation so I did too. Even if it was just for Alex.

Just for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi, thank you, im sorry this took long. ive been addicted to dog sled saga and my doggos are just so adorable.  
> I HOPE THIS CHAPTER WAS UP TO PAR!!! I SERIOUSLY LOVE YOU ALL AND IM REALLY SAD THAT THE FIERROCHASE TAG HAS BEEN DEAD FOR LIKE A WEEK NOW
> 
> i wish you a good day/noon/evening
> 
> <3


	24. Eight letters from me to you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bet you didnt expect me to update this early did you? i wrote this practically overnight
> 
> i hOPE I NAILED THIS

I considered going down there to the stage to join all the people that are rushing towards their friends but then I decided that crowds were not the place for me. Besides, Alex was being flocked too and I kind of didn’t want to squeeze through that many people.

So me and my friends go outside, thinking of our next move. And Sam comes up with the great idea of me waiting alone outside the Arts and Crafts room while they go back to the car. To be honest, it wasn’t that bad of an idea at all. So I waited alone. Yippee.

It was awkward, me standing there in the empty hallway with only my nerves to keep me company. This is okay.

After a few minutes of standing around and passing the time by folding and unfolding one of the letters, I finally hear some voices down the corridor. I breath out a sigh of relief and strain my eyes for that familiar faded green hair.

Alex Fierro. There he is in the middle of the crowd, chatting aimlessly until he sees me. I wait until the flock of people get to the Arts and Crafts room and unsurprisingly, Alex is the only one left outside with me. He walks over to me in all his costumed glory. His arms crossed and he gazes at me like I’m a lost puppy left out in the rain. At this point, I probably was. _Sigh._

“Well, well, well. I wonder what I should choose. The afterparty or Magnus Chase?” Alex knits his eyebrows, as if pretending to think really hard about the decision.

“Uh, Magnus Chase?” I tilt my head to the side just a bit.

“Bingo!” Alex shoots me with a finger gun, “Good answer, Maggie.” He blows away imaginary smoke off the top of his pointer finger. “Just let me get into some fuckin’ good clothes and let’s ditch this place.” He grins at me and disappears into the room.

I text Blitzen that I’m not going with them because who knows where Alex and I will go. I wanted to see how things played out.

We ended up not going that far from the school. Walking down unusually empty streets in the dark of Boston with only street lamps and the moon as guides.

“So, How’d I do in the play?” Alex looks at me, smiling. His expression expectant yet curious. He was wearing a soft green jacket with matching green pants. Today was a green day for him, I suppose.

“I think you could’ve done with a few more maniacal laughing.” I tease, smiling back.

Alex lets out a a wistful sigh, “If only they let me. They said it would’ve killed the mood of the play but I think that’s stupid because I was still there to make the play great.”

“Well, you’re not quite Oscar-level yet..”

He lets out a mock gasp, “I worked hard on my acting, I’ll let you know.” He punches me on the shoulder. I just laugh and Alex rolls his eyes.

We don’t talk much. We just walk around, enjoying each other’s presence like we always have when we had these small moments. It had turned to December today, winter. I wonder again if we would have snow this year,

The atmosphere changes as soon as Alex stops in his tracks. I had a feeling about what was going to come next.

“Oh, Maggie.” Alex sighs, his breath coming out in mists, There’s a shit ton of stuff you should know.”

“Yeah, I figured.” I shiver, shoving my hands into my jacket for warmth.

“I.. think you deserve this.” Alex says slowly but surely and from his pocket, he produces a folded up piece of paper. I can’t tell you how much I was holding my breath there.

“That’s..” I stared at the paper, dumbfounded. Sure, I was expecting Alex to be giving me the _eighth_ letter but some small part of me still couldn’t come to terms with reality.

“Yeah.”

I take the letter, a blazing warmth going over my entire body despite the cold. But I just tuck the letter into my pocket because the writer was right here, right now. And this time I wasn’t just going to read what he wrote, instead I was was actually gonna interact with him face-to-face.

“You?” I ask, disbelief still evident in my tone despite all my earlier suspicions.

We had stopped under a street lamp, the light spilling onto the scenery, giving Alex and ethereal look. A soft blush settling on his cheeks. His green hair couldn’t have looked more perfect.

“So surprised?” He mutters, avoiding my eyes.

My lips curl into a smile, “Kinda.”

“’Kinda’?” Alex mimics, also giving his best impression of my voice, “Wow, thanks. That means I totally fucking nailed all of this.

I put my hands up, “Geez! Hey, I kind of figured it out on my own, you know.”

He sniffs, “Congratulations. Good on you.”

“Hey, well.” I shrug, finding a smile on my face again, “At least I’m not as dumb as you thought I was.” That gets Alex chuckling. And I stupidly chuckle too because it’s infectious.

There’s a mirthful look in Alex’s kaleidoscopic eyes, “Come on, I wanna go somewhere.” He grins, taking my hand and pulling me along to God knows where but I could care less.

As we run through the streets, I’ve never felt more alive. Everything felt so renewed and fresh again. The cold air rushed through me like a jolting realization that maybe I didn’t feel so empty anymore. The venue we stop at is a familiar one. It’s the run down pottery studio from Day One of this adventure.

My breath comes in short, misty pants, my blood rushed through my system overtime from the running, “Hey, I actually know where we are.” I look up.

“What a fuckin’ miracle.” Alex gives me a lopsided smile. At this point I think every molecule in my body was ready to combust at every curl of Alex’s lips. Or maybe it was because I was really close to him.

 _Her._ The tiny voice in my mind whispers.

She must’ve seen it in my expression as she observed me with quiet concentration.

“You know.” She notes, “Of course.” Alex tugs at her jacket, playing with the zipper.

“I--“ I look away from her sharp stare, “Yeah.” As I look away, a small odd snowflake falls onto my nose, melting into water. I take a mental step back and realized that it was snowing. This early? How coincidental and convenient for the situation.. I totally needed some atmosphere.

Alex looked around too. The empty neighborhood didn’t yield much, except a comfortable silence that I sighed into.

“Too bad you’re wearing a jacket too.” I joke, shuffling my feet on the sidewalk, “Maybe I could’ve gave you mine.”

Judging by the arch in Alex’s dark brown eyebrow, she wasn’t impressed, “I can’t believe it. You’re still a dork.” She sighs, shaking her head. Even then, that gets my heart thumping throughout my whole body. Continuous beats in my ears that I couldn’t get rid of.

“I prefer the term ‘gentleman’. Shouldn’t we go in?”

After those words left my mouth, my brain short circuited because I wasn’t expecting Alex freaking Fierro to reach up and give me a jarring kiss. Her lips were just a bit cold but did I really give a shit about that? The answer was no, because she was kissing me and it made my mind melt and my insides drop. I felt like I just drank a couple cups of coffee because everything felt HD and my heart was ready to explode at how fast it was.

Maybe I smelled a hint of limes on her. Unsurprising but it made the moment even more memorable in my mind. I wished we could’ve stayed like that because it was the best feeling I have ever had but of course, good things don’t last.

Alex sighs softly as she pulls back, her hands still cupping my face. My skin crackled with electricity at her touch. My cheeks were hot and probably red as tomatoes.. Snowflakes fall into Alex’s hair as she looks up at me. Her brown and amber eyes lit up. “Let’s go in. I’m fucking freezing.” She comments as if she just didn’t kiss me to death.

“R-right..” I stammer, somehow finding my voice. It didn’t feel cold.. Or was that just the warmth rushing through my body? Nevertheless, I follow Alex down the back alley. My hand clasped in hers and the taste of her lips still fresh in my mind.

 

* * *

 

_um fuck i fucked up something_

_O as in ‘oh god i literally just wrote this before the play’. no its not procrastination. things just didn’t turn out the way i thought they would but theyre definitely a thousand times better._

_magnus fucking chase, can i just tell you that these past few days were the best days of my life? sure there were some shitty parts but holy crap. i don’t want to get cheesy but being with you was like being cured of all illnesses and forgetting all the bad shit that’s happened to me. that’s how fucking crazy it was._

_now the first showing of the play is over. youll be here in a couple hours and i don’t know how to act right now. believe me, i couldn’t have felt better after all these days but theres just the goddamn occasional butterflies in my stomach and its driving me crazy because i know its all because of you_

_goddamnit i wish i could hate you but youre too good of a human being and you just broke down my walls faster than anyone else could have. i don’t know how you did it but you managed to wriggle your damn way into my heart and i know that sounds gross but fuck it_

_the first day i met you, i was just like “this kid is the super ultra dork and hes staring everyone else. well fuck him.” then that shitty prank with the whip cream was my fault entirely and i kind of felt shit about it but sometimes when i feel pleasantly sadistic i still laugh a little when i reminisce. god im definitely going to hell._

_the next few days, you started to bug me. mentally and emotionally i guess. i noticed you deliberately avoiding me and i felt torn about that. then i suddenly realized that you hung out with my sister. YES, Samirah is my annoying sister but i love her. i don’t know if she told you yet tbh._

_i guess that’s when it started. samirah started talking to me about you and asked why i was being such an ass then i said i didn’t know and she just shook her head._

_after that, i kept asking more about you and i realized i was deeper in this hole than i thought I was. then the dare came around and all this letter bullshit started. i didn’t expect myself to join you on this. i found out that it was hard but kinda easy to lie._

_maybe you can ask me what i thought during the whole thing because im not talking about my experience here because i still have a lot to talk about._

_magnus chase youre such a goddamn light in my life like a dorky sunshine boy that i cant shake off. im surprised that you warmed me up to me so fast (just the fact that you forgave and forgot made me feel like shit and happy at the same time)_

_again im sorry for the two years of me being a jack ass and you enduring it all. there, are you happy that i said it? cuz im definitely not saying it again._

_i thought a lot about your tattoo. the rune that you gave hearthstone.. perthro right? i guess you feel like that since.. you know. im definitely not the person that suddenly ‘fills’ your cup but i just hope that your little family composed of two cute gay dads and one unbearable sister gives you even the slightest comfort._

_mallory, halfborn and tj were definitely the people who filled up the family-shaped gaps in my life and they.. pretty much saved my life. i know i kind of explained it weird but.. i saved myself because i just couldn’t leave them. you were such a big person in the picture yet but maybe i thought a little about you_

_okay i think this becoming a little too long for my taste. plus im getting sappy. jesus hot sauce christmas cake._

_anyways. whatever happens after the play, happens. who knows, maybe i wont fuck up the situation and the night will actually end on a good note._

_til then, this is the last of the letters._

_alex fucking fierro signing off and taking a goddamn break._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love you all <3
> 
> there will be an epilogue and but i think itll take a while since tomorrow is when school starts for me (aaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA)
> 
> thank you for reading this,  
> i hope you have a great morning/ noon / evening!!


	25. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ill leave all the notes down below  
> but just.. enjoy, thank you so much for all this <3

I wake up the next morning to the mansion is a bit livelier than usual. Uncle Frederick and Randolph were talking in the kitchen while Annabeth was talking on the phone with someone. Frederick, Randolph and Annabeth were already wearing hiking gear (Randolph has hiking gear?? Uncle Fred and Annabeth I could understand but Randolph didn’t seem like the outdoorsy type) Meanwhile I felt seriously underdressed in my clothes from last night.

Last night..

Holy crap. I was with Alex last night and.. we kissed. There was nothing more than that.

I try to swallow that thought down my throat as Annabeth sees me still holding on to the stair railings for dear life. By the relieved look on her face, I immediately knew that we should’ve left ages ago but they didn’t have the heart to wake me up. Well, I wouldn’t have missed this hike for the world.

 _Finally_ , she said and sent me straight to the bathroom to take a shower.

In a matter of minutes, I was ready to go wherever. Turns out Annabeth had gone ahead and bought the appropriate hiking gear. In short, she was probably the best cousin you could ask for. Wait, did I say that before? Well, she deserves the best cousin award anyway, so..

While eating breakfast that was literally just some energy shake that Annabeth made for me, I had the bright idea of texting my friends about my whereabouts for today. Then I wonder why I hadn’t thought of it sooner. Then I realized that I just woke up and still groggy as heck. I opened my phone and went to contacts, deciding it was best that I tell Blitzen.

I didn’t tell Blitzen about the stuff that happened after they left last night despite all his questioning. Thankfully he let the subject go, besides I wasn’t so sure if I was ready to say it and Alex definitely wouldn’t appreciate it if I went all Gossip Girl and said that we um.. kissed. I had to admit, my stomach took a tumble at the recollection.

Speaking of Alex.. How do you talk to someone over text when they kissed you the night before? Help me because I don’t know how.

But of course, I had to man up because if I didn’t, I’d have a potentially pissed Alex Fierro after my hide. And I didn’t like that so I, picking the safest choice, went ahead and texted my significant other? Significant annoyance? I wasn’t sure what our relationship was right now. Seriously, how do you react to that?

When Alex doesn’t text back right away, I immediately feel a hitch in my throat. Then I try to reason out that it’s still a bit early and she would definitely still be sleeping after the long night. With all the acting and whatnot. Definitely not because she’s avoiding me.. Wow hello, Paranoia, I haven’t seen you in a while.

 

_Magnus: so im gonna be up on a mountain for a whole day and a half_

_Magnus: which is nice but ill probably freeze to death up there_

_Magnus: i guess youre still asleep_

_Magnus: ill call you when i get back?_

_Alex: WAIT_

_Magnus: oh hi_

_Alex: Fuckin shit my phone was dead_

_Alex: I was awake since hours ago. I cant get a wink of sleep in this place_

_Alex: Youre going hiking?_

_Magnus: yeah for a day and a half -i thought i already said that_

_Alex: Christ I can read you know_

_Magnus: but you just said.._

_Magnus: never mind_

_Alex: Well I dont think I have to guess why youre going do i?_

_Magnus: i dont think so?_

_Alex: Don’t worry, I wont go all pissy at you. Why the hell would i?_

_Alex: Id be a total asshole if i did_

_Alex: Ill just see you.. maybe tomorrow okay magpie?_

_Alex: Just enjoy your hike_

_Magnus: thanks.._

_Magnus: ill see you_

_Alex: We’ll talk about stuff tomorrow_

_Magnus: stuff??_

After that, Alex doesn’t reply which I’m slightly iffy about. I push that thought away and send one last message because I’m sappy. Some part of me just wished I could be with her right now but I still had some loose ends to tie up.

 

_Magnus: well okay then.. bye_

Totally nailed it.

I put away my phone and do a check of my stuff again. Making sure I don’t accidentally leave behind my tent or my marshmallows because both were of utmost importance. If anyone thinks different, they better rethink their priorities.

And we leave for Blue Hills.

 

* * *

 

We stood upon the same campsite my mom and I used so long ago. Thought the spot where the campfire usually was, was littered with fresh coals and remnants of burnt twigs and leaves. As if someone had been here not too long ago. There were also some patches of snow that had turned to mush when I touched them.

I’ve never been here during winter since my mom didn’t like the cold, and I don’t think I would’ve liked it either. But nevertheless, it brings back so many memories just standing and being here. I could remember where we set up our tents, where we laid down to watch the stars, and where we sat to just listen to the wildlife around us.

“It’s a beautiful sight,” Annabeth sighs, pulling her beanie lower, “I get why this is where you guys set up camp all the time.” Still overlooking a few hills but not being the highest point in Blue Hills, it was _definitely_ a beautiful sight. I shivered, feeling the cold seeping into my bones.

Our overnight stay here was going to be rough, seeing as we’re probably a few hundred feet higher than normal.

“So uh, you go to summer camp?” I glanced over at Annabeth. She had this set, firm look on her face like she was ready to tackle every problem that came her way. Something told me that my observation was very right.

“Yeah, but it’s more like a home to me now.” Annabeth admits, her eyes light up once she looks at me. It’s weird how she’s taller than me, maybe even close to Hearthstone’s height, “Why? Do _you_ want to go to summer camp?” Not what I was leading to but the concept was worth thinking about.

I shrug, “Not really. I’d like to just sit back and relax during summer.”

My cousin nods slowly like she respected my decision, “You didn’t look like a summer camp type of guy, no offence.”

“None taken.” While we take in a bit more of the scenery. Behind us, Uncle Frederick and Randolph finally get the fire going, thank god. The two brothers didn’t talk much, at least I didn’t hear them talking. As far I saw know, they haven’t talked properly to each other for years. Not exactly the kind of brotherhood you’d wish for.

At night, Annabeth and I roast up some marshmallows. She strikes up a conversation.

“What was that.. letter?” She asks as she checks her marshmallow. My stomach plummets, she remembered it.

The thing was, I wanted to tell her about all this stuff. The letters, the whole hunt, _everything_. Annabeth didn’t feel like a typical girl who would go gossip with her girly friends. Definitely not. I’m not even sure if Annabeth has girly friends. In fact, she gave me Samirah vibes but she was a lot less grumpy and looked a lot more threatening without trying.

So I spilled the beans. Everything came pouring out and I felt so.. _relieved_ to tell. As I told my story, she just listened with a stormy look on her face. I had come to call that look her normal face.

“So.. You have a girlfriend-slash-boyfriend now?” Annabeth asks slowly.

An immediate blush makes its way to my face, “Well!” I hold up a palm, because I was using the other one to hold my marshmallow stick (duh), “I don’t know? But no assumptions, it’s still kind of confusing.”

Annabeth smiles, pulling her marshmallow away from the fire, “I probably have the sweetest yet dumbest boyfriend that ever existed.”

“Really?” I tilt my head, “He’s actually _dumb_ dumb?”

“Well, no.” She straightens up, “He’s pretty clever actually, but not so good on the academic side.” I never thought Annabeth would be the type to have a boyfriend, not that she’s not attractive but that she would probably scare off any guy within a ten-mile radius of her.

She’s just that threatening sometimes, okay?

We continued to catch up, telling each other stories. Mine mostly of my experiences in school and Annabeth mostly of her experiences in summer camp. I was starting to build a picture in my mind for the camp because she described it in great detail. She gave me a kind of architect vibe, like she knew what she was talking about when she told me about all the cabins and started using words like _ergonomy, vernacular_ and etc. It made my head spin so much I wondered if her boyfriend endures all these complicated terms too. If so, I felt kinda sorry for him.

Eventually Uncle Frederick and Randolph sign off for the night, Annabeth following after. They don’t tell me to sleep or anything but my cousin does give me a meaningful look and a hug goodnight. That made me feel a little better.

Everyone was asleep by 10 PM. I knew because I had obviously checked all the tents and made sure it was 10 PM before I began my brooding.

Just joking.

Actually, I literally just looked up at the sky and decided it was 10 PM.

Unfortunately, I had the case of the insomnias so I stayed up, sitting by the sputtering campfire. The orange flames yield little warmth as I huddle up close to the campfire. My stomach was not in the mood for more marshmallows despite the hunger that gnawed at me.

My mom never would’ve made me stay up this later unless it was a good day for her. We spent the night away pointing out constellations in the sky that I would never remember. Then she’d get _just_ a little bit mad at me for staying up later then I’d go to sleep right after.

Every second I spend here, the pain that I’ve suppressed for so long just gets harder to bear. The pain feels even more amplified here but I had to face it. It takes me a few seconds to realize that I had a few tears streaking down my cheeks. Dangit, Magnus, why did you have to cry?

Staying up didn’t prove to be such a great idea but I couldn’t help it so heck. I put out the fire with a bottle of water, the smoke disappearing into the wind. I retreat into my tent and cuddle with my comforter. Maybe, _just_ maybe, I cried myself to sleep.

  

* * *

 

Annabeth wakes me up with the sun just barely rising. Judging from the look on her face, I knew it was time.

The sunrise was poetically beautiful. A mix of orange and yellow splashing across the hills, not a sight you’d see in the city. The clouds were cottony and orange-ish too, adding to the vibrancy of the sunset. Just the right kind sight that Natalie Chase loved.

I feel a dull ache in my heart as I see the jar in Randolph’s hands but there was nothing I could really do. Holding it felt like holding a whole ice block, I didn’t know whether my hands were cold, or the jar was.

We all stand at the ridge of the hill, bathing in the first rays of sunshine.

Truly a moment worthy of Natalie Chase, and it made my heart ache _so_ much.

Who knew spreading around someone’s ashes felt so emotional but now I knew. The wind carried away the ash away, my mom was finally free. Not stuck in a coffin in the ground, she didn’t deserve that. While I closed the jar, I caught a glimpse of my wrist. The jet black tattoo stared back at me. It felt like a life time ago since I got it but in reality it was just a couple of days. A fresh wave of memories wash over me and I sigh into the nippy air.

 _Perthro_. Alex had brought it up in her letter.

An empty cup waiting to be filled. I guess, I couldn’t have felt more emptier than now but back home, I knew that I had a family waiting for me. A roughed-up family, sure. But they made me feel fuller than I realized and that’s what I love about them. Maybe I had a family here too, standing with me. But that needed a little more work, I suppose.

I felt a little piece of me repair itself from the heartbreak of discovering my mom’s death. I felt that I’d done her justice. I had reached the end of this crazy adventure and found someone who may have filled up that certain gap in my heart. Though besides all this, I felt that she didn’t really die. The truth was, I didn’t lose my mom, despite all the sappiness in this. She was always with me. In the back of my consciousness, egging me on. She was there the whole time I followed all these letters.

No, instead of losing someone, I found someone else. And maybe, just maybe, they could make me feel the wholeness I’ve been missing for these past years. No matter how broken or battered they are. No matter the experiences they’ve been through. No matter what they’ve done in the past because that’s all over now.

What matters is the present and the future. Alex Fierro, I may just want to spend it all with you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ALRIGHT.  
> first thing, id like to point out that i literally ended this like sword of summer. (i totally didnt rip off// actually i didnt realize it until i started writing on the chapter)
> 
> second thing, i just delivered the cheesiest last line ive ever written and im ready to defenestrATE
> 
> third, i want to thank all of you with all my heart and soul for every comment, every kudo, every bookmark and heck, every hit because that pushed me to the finish line of this crazy thing. i took on a completely different kind of story that im very knew too and im surprised that it turned out this... *****good***** ive never been more proud of a work and you guys helped me with that.
> 
> i may have another completely different story in the works, who knows. but just know that this isnt ultimately the end. and i hope you guys have a very wonderful and great day/noon/evening.
> 
> i love all of you.
> 
> PS!: a little thing i set up for all of you guys. if it isnt too much, i want you to go back and look at every Letter and see the first letter of each one. (yall will be very glad i named which chapters have which letters)


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